Guise of the Prodigal Son
by dh1031
Summary: This is a sequel to Look to Your Heart that started near the end of Zod. There may also be indescript references to events in earlier seasons. It will look at what happens when Lucas Luthor returns.
1. Chapter 1

**Title/Link:** Guise of the Prodigal Son

**Author: ** dh1031

**Edited by:** 13ReporterGirl13

**Pairing: **Clark and Chloe, Martha and Lionel, Lex and Lana

**Rating:** (for : K+) No higher than PG-13 (basically nothing more than what's appeared on Smallville will be depicted here). Moderators, please let me know if there is anything here than merits this story being moved, and feel free to make any changes you deem necessary.

**Spoilers: **Up to and including season 6

**Summary:** This is a sequel of sorts to my first fanfic, **Look to Your Heart**, which involved the events that took place at the beginning of the sixth season (with a Chlark spin of course). There may also be indescript references to events in earlier seasons. It will look at what happens when the long sequestered Lucas Luthor returns. I do not own, nor do I claim to own, any of the characters described here.

**Chapter 1**

Lionel Luthor made his way up to his office at LuthorCorp after having spent the previous day with Senator Kent. He was quite pleased with the events of the day, and the numerous accolades that were being bestowed on the Senator in light of her leadership, steadiness, and confidence after the events following Dark Thursday.

Lionel was especially interested with the way his relationship with the good Senator was growing, and his connection to Jor-El appeared to be advancing his agenda of gaining Clark's implicit trust. Martha was a very capable woman, someone he'd grown to not only see as an equal, but someone that he was beginning to have hopes of building a future with.

Ever since Martha completed a stint as an assistant for him almost four years ago, Lionel had felt there was a mutual attraction there. Still, even Lionel knew there were lines Martha Kent would never cross, especially when it came to devotion to her family – more specifically, her husband. Jonathan Kent's death had changed the dynamic to some extent, though Lionel knew that being the last person to have words with the farmer would augment any ill will Martha harbored for him – especially given the past interactions between the Luthor and Kent families.

Yet Lionel knew that Martha prided herself on being a forgiving soul and that, along with the passage of time would be the catalyst to heal her of the ill will she carried. However, currently he found himself pre-occupied with the issue of just how much Lex remembered from the time he was inhabited by Zod. Although all his contacts at the Pentagon had assured him that any footage of his son (or rather Zod) had been eliminated, who knew what snippets existed that could have been taken by civilians during the carnage.

Lionel's chain of thought was interrupted as he walked into his office to find it occupied by his son. It was not his son that threw off Lionel's chain of thought, but which son that was ensconced behind his desk that gave him pause – Lucas Luthor. Still, being the apt linguistic connoisseur that he prided himself on, Lionel did not elicit any befuddled retort to Lucas' presence, which he believed would be to the chagrin of his son.

"So, the would-be prodigal son makes a second return to LuthorCorp. What's the matter Lucas, bored with the drowning of life in Star City after a mere four years? Or have your sociopathic tendencies deprecated what little gratification you claimed to have found in your adopted home?" Lionel queried with distinct tact.

"Good to see you too Dad, and here I thought you might have developed a sense of sentimentality in your years since our last meeting. Especially given your latest ventures involving the Kent family, or one Kent to be more specific. Martha Kent graciously took on the task of being a State Senator – at your indirect behest if I'm not mistaken." Lucas chimed in with satisfactory reply.

"My, my we are the panegyric orator, though you do give me too much credit. Martha Kent made the decision to take up the senate seat vacated by her husband's death on her own accord. And as for the development of sentimentality, surely you would know better than to mistake me for fostering such a thing. Lex must have told you somewhere along the way that I have constantly admonished him for allowing his emotions to completely govern his actions. Remember, emotions can be a useful tool, but ultimately useless if they consume you. Now, if we are through with the formalities, would you please explain this unscheduled meeting?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely, I am here precisely because of my, as you describe him, emotional brother, Lex. Or rather, because of Lex's recent actions involving the events of Dark Thursday. You see, I have not been reticent in the past four years since we last met Dad."

"Surely since you are one to keep abreast of affairs concerning the Luthor family, you know that I have been involved with multiple companies whose objectives take into account military applications and a myriad of other interests. Now, since I was also privy to the only working satellite on Dark Thursday, I am well aware of the display of Lex's remarkable abilities. Despite Lex's previous assertions to the contrary, it seems to me that he is still living in your shadow. I am here to find out exactly how Lex acquired such abilities. And more to the point, how you were so gauche as to have allowed Lex to run amok with these abilities. I mean the results from experiments involving those with meteor infections have never yielded such results, even the most recent from Level 3."

"The only other individual I can recall ever displaying such feats was Clark Kent. The occasional pain I get in my arm always signifies an approaching storm; and serves as a memento from our prior meeting. It's funny, the run-in I had with Clark all those years ago – it was like I ran into a steel wall. Still, I know we Luthors are made of very resilient stock, but I do not recall us being bulletproof. You do remember that I miraculously survived a little visit by our old friend Dirk, thanks again to Clark Kent. I never have been able to ascertain how Clark reacted so quickly. Given the tenacity Dirk had for squaring accounts, especially when he'd been had at poker, there's no way he should have missed me. Of course tenacity isn't all it's cracked up to be - as Dirk learned when you cut him from your payroll permanently, upon his being taken into custody. I digress, with all of the events that I have read accounts of over the years, it appears that Clark Kent is a very gifted individual."

Before Lionel could reply to Lucas' retort, the doors to his office opened, and in walked the subject of their discussion.

"Well it's a regular Luthor cabal this morning; I was only here to 'graciously' thank Dad for his latest concerned-parental-intervention. However, it appears that conclusion was short-sited, Lucas, I thought we'd achieved a more amiable relationship than the report shared with Dad. However, considering your unannounced audience here, it would seem my assessment of our standing was misinterpreted. I take it that's why I'm being followed Dad? To make sure I don't destroy the rest of the world?"

Lucas displayed no sign of emotion and chose to remain silent; he looked to Lionel to answer Lex's charge of imposition.

"If I were having you followed, son, you would never know it. I can guarantee you that."

Tempered for the moment by his Dad's response, Lex and Lionel both turned to Lucas for an answer.

"Lex, I assure you that I, personally, have had no part in having you followed. As for my unannounced appearance here today, I merely came to learn more about the events that lead to the carnage of Dark Thursday, and more to the point, your miraculous bestowment of abilities that not even the most advanced meteor infected individual has displayed."

"I hate to disappoint the two of you, but whatever abilities I had are long gone. So if you all are looking for an encore performance, you're out of luck. Elvis has left the building."

Lionel chimed back in, "You want to find out who's stalking you? I suggest you concentrate on remembering every little, minute detail of that tragic day."

A smug expression captured Lex's face as he replied, "Well, I guess I should have kept a blog because I suffered a total memory loss. Besides what Lana has told me, those 24 hours are gone."

Lionel decided to try again, "The atrocities you committed, they could have been observed by anyone. Lex, please, let me help you."

Before Lucas could put in his two cents worth, Lex coldly answered his Dad's request;

"I've been on the receiving end of your help before, Dad. I think I'll decline on your generous offer."

Undaunted by Lex's reference to his actions in the past that resulted in Lex receiving unsanctioned electroshock therapy, Lionel pressed on.

"Listen to me. There are some adversaries that cannot be defeated alone."

Lex had apparently had enough of the discourse and left the office without another word to either Lionel or Lucas. He made his way to the elevator and once inside pressed the button to go to the lobby. However, after having only descended a few floors, the elevator came to an abrupt stop and begin filling with gas. Before Lex could take any recourse the gas had taken affect and he fell unconscious to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lois was keeping a steady pace on her morning run. After her short stint in the hospital and being subjected to food she considered worse than army MREs, she was just thrilled to get outside again. The young man that had accompanied Chloe when they came to visit her at the Smallville Medical Center (SMC) kept popping into her head. Lois felt bad for being so curt with him, funny must be getting soft, she thought.

The General had always told her that her proclivity for _big green ticks_ (army lingo for uncomfortable situations) would only inhibit her from ever becoming a 'STRAC' [army lingo for a proud, competent trooper who can be depended on for good performance in any circumstance]. And if you weren't a 'STRAC' then you were no good to The General.

At any rate, if he went to the trouble to get Chloe to the hospital in order to see her, Lois resolved to apologize to _the string bean_ the next time she ran into him. Still she had always been quick to speak her mind, something Lois pinned to having to play both sister and mother to Lucy while growing up.

Lois still worried about Lucy from time to time, but after the last run-in with Lucy, that ended with Lucy taking off in Lex's car; Lois resigned herself to the fact that she had to let Lucy lead her own life. They may be children of a general in the army, but she'd done her best to teach Lucy to think for herself. Lois smirked at the thought of having taught at least something right, because despite her efforts Lucy was following her own path.

With enough soul searching to suit her tastes, Lois' thoughts drifted to the last conversation she'd had with her cousin. Chloe was usually happy-go-lucky around Lois, but when Chloe showed up the other day to pick her up from the SMC, she was acting like she was on cloud nine.

"Okay cuz; spill it, what's with the happy-meal grin plastered on your face? Did the Daily Planet decide to move you out of the basement? Have you landed a story that'll run on the front page? Did you manage to win a year's supply of coffee? What gives?"

"Lois, you just got out of the hospital, and I don't know if you can handle the news right now. Besides, I'm driving and I don't think I could take '_Volcano Lane_' erupting if you don't like what you hear."

"Well that tears it!! Listen cuz, if you don't want '_Volcano Lane_' erupting then tell me what's going on or I'll keep pestering you all the way back to the farm!"

"Touché, seeing as how you'll find out sooner or later, it's probably best you hear it from me anyway. Here it goes, Clark and I have been spending a lot of time together."

"That's it? What's the big deal there? You and Smallville are about as inseparable as two people can get. Heck, he's with you at the Daily Planet so often working on stories with you; I'm surprised he's not on their payroll by now."

"Well, one step at a time Lois, I'm still trying to talk Clark into going back to college next semester. Still, I've been after him to apply to the Planet, especially after the Graham Garrett story. But I don't think you understand what I mean, I mean Clark and I are together now – as in '_together-together_'."

"WHAT!?!?!?!?!? Chloe Anne Sullivan, when did this happen?? I know you've been sweet on Smallville for a long time now, and you guys have been BFFs for I don't know how long, but what's the deal?"

"So much for '_Volcano Lane_' not going off, although I guess I should be thankful that I only have one ear ringing after all of that. It's kind of a long story with Clark and me…"

"It's always a long story with you and Smallville; just give me the _Reader's Digest_ version of the events."

Lois had managed to keep quiet as Chloe relayed the events that lead to the culmination of her and Clark's change in status. Although Lois felt that Chloe was leaving a great deal out of her story, she decided it was for her benefit, and also chalked it up to involving nauseating-lovey-dovey details, which she had no desire to hear about.

Bringing herself back to the present, Lois could not help but observe that things were never dull in the town she'd mistaken for _dullsville_ when she'd first arrived. This fact was reiterated when a barn door smashed into the field adjacent to the path she was jogging on.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Chloe was on her way to the Kent farm, she and Clark had planned to have a late brunch that morning. As much as she loved Clark, she needed her time to sleep in and besides; that gave Clark time to get through his chores so they could have more time together. Only a short time had passed since they admitted having feelings for each other beyond those of companionship, and Chloe thought things were going well so far. She felt that their friendship was the rock-foundation that made taking the next step even better.

Although Martha's role as a state senator kept her busy, she was able to work a lot from home. Chloe was thankful for that as she and Martha were a support system of sorts for keeping Clark's secret. Of course Clark was mindful of the responsibility that went along with knowing his secret; Chloe would not have traded knowing it for the world.

Being part of the _Kent-Inner-Circle_ gave Chloe a sense of belonging and family that she sorely missed with the lack of the classic nuclear family. Plus, there was even more of a mother-daughter feel to Chloe and Martha's relationship now that she was dating Clark, something she was very thankful for.

Chloe was quickly drawn from her thoughts as she parked her car in its usual spot near the barn. She received a voice mail from Clark on her cell that morning, and though she thought he sounded a little winded. Yet that did not prepare her for the sight before her; a large chunk of the barn was now missing – more specifically the front door. Shelby came running up to Chloe, his welcoming bark snapping her out of her momentary daze.

"Hey Shelby, so what's the deal, did Clark not like the latest report from the farmer's almanac?"

Shelby only replied by sitting and looking up at her quizzically, as if trying to discern human speech into dog jargon. Chloe laughed and the comical pooch and knelt down to pet the attention seeking K9.

"Okay boy, let's go find your master and see what all the commotion is about this time."

Chloe and Shelby entered the house to find Clark sitting in the kitchen, waiting for a thermometer to chime-in that it had finished taking his temperature. Just as the thermometer went off, Martha turned off the stove that was warming a kettle of water. Then she filled a basin with the hot water, and mixed cold medicine with it. Shelby sat at the foot of the stool where Clark was seated, and waited patiently for acknowledgement from his owner.

"Hi Clark, hi Mrs. Kent, what happened to your barn door? And what's with the thermometer?"

"I sneezed." Taking the thermometer from his mouth he read aloud, "98.6 Mom, no fever."

He then rinsed the thermometer with rubbing alcohol before returning it to the first aid kit. Clark took a moment to acknowledge the patient K9, giving him a quick pat on the head and telling him "good boy" before returning his attention to Chloe and his Mom. Satisfied by the acknowledgement, Shelby laid down to get some sleep while the rest of the group conversed.

"Good morning Chloe, I'm glad you're here. It appears that we're in uncharted waters. Clark, I do not recall you ever even having as much as a runny nose. Is this the first time you ever sneezed?"

"Yeah and it's the first time I can recall my throat itching and my ears feeling like they're all plugged up. Even though I didn't spend the night at a Holiday Inn Express and I don't have a Ph.D. I think it's safe to say I've come down with a common cold."

"Yeah, everyone that runs across colds routinely goes around sneezing hard enough to blow barn doors off their hinges Clark."

"Funny Chloe but that's the reason I called, the barn door flew half-way across the county, and it nearly took out Lois when it landed. She came back from her run ranting about what happened when she glanced out the window and saw the door was missing from our barn. Now she's all fired up to figure out what caused this. She just went upstairs to get cleaned up before you got here; thankfully Lois takes what seems like a fortnight to get ready to go anywhere. You know your cousin though, when she gets on one of her rants; it takes a road block of Sherman tanks to get her to slow down."

"I get it Clark, I'll take care of Lois, but I'm more concerned about you. How do you think you came down with this cold?"

Martha chimed in with an opinion, "You mentioned that your abilities were gone while you were in the Phantom Zone, maybe it's possible that you picked up this bug, or whatever it is, there. Your body would have been susceptible to infection just as anyone of us would have been to colds and other viruses."

"That's true and I've really been pushing it lately with my nightly trips to Metropolis, New York, and Los Angeles; cleaning up the mess from the chaos caused by Professor Fine's computer virus. I think we just need to give my system time to fight this thing off."

"Well, I'll make up the best known antidote that we humans have for the common cold – homemade chicken soup. In the meantime, keep you head over this bowl of water and cold medicine, just breathe in the vapor as best you can."

"Thanks mom, mmm, nothing like the aroma of cold medicine to get one going. Ugh, this is one part about being human I don't envy. I know I've never had a cold before, but I remember setting up these cold vapor bowls for you and Dad in the past. I still don't care for the way the smell."

Chloe walked over to him, put an arm around him, leaned her head on his shoulder, and said,

"Look at it this way Clark, with everything else you've managed to fight off, a Phantom Zone cold should be a _breeze_."

Clark eyed her with a 'cutesy' expression on his face; though he was thankful for the levity Chloe brought to the situation; he turned and kissed her forehead.

"Thanks Chloe, I appreciate the vote of confidence. Look, I'm sorry about brunch, how about a rain check?"

Chloe turned her head so as to look him in the eye. Although he was under the weather, Chloe could still see that spark in his eyes that only seemed to be there for her. This warmed Chloe's heart and brought on her million dollar smile as she returned his query.

"It's a date Mr. Kent!" Chloe leaned over and kissed Clark's cheek.

"Well, I'd better go see what's keeping Lois – knowing her she's still taking one of her marathon showers."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Lex awoke to find himself strapped down to a metal table that served as a make-shift gurney. The air around him was stale and dry with and the only windows he could find were lining the wall near the roofline. He assessed that his captors were keeping him in a warehouse of some sort. He was in a subset of the warehouse that had been cordoned off with a chain-link fence.

He could not tell anything more about what kind of warehouse as there were no identifying marks on the wooden crates that surrounded the area. Lex's eyes quickly focused on a couple of men standing in the corner, they were dressed in black with their backs turned to him, and although they were speaking; he could not hear what they were saying.

As Lex continued to scan the immediate area he saw multiple shelving units with a myriad of beakers, vials, and other containers with various chemicals. There was also a cart near him with a myriad of ominous looking vials and syringes. Lex's attention was taken away from the cart as he heard one of the men approaching.

The man appeared to be in his mid thirties with blonde hair. The other man moved closer but stopped a few feet away from the table Lex was strapped to. Lex was able to see that his other captor was in his late twenties, and had brown hair. The characteristics Lex was able to identify did him little good, as he could not recall ever having had dealings with these men in the past.

The blonde man stopped before him with a posture that in Lex's opinion conveyed an overbearing sense of accomplishment.

"Well, good morning Mr. Luthor! Or should I call you Mr. Invincible?"

"Where am I, why did you bring me here, and what do you want?"

"Now that's not very courteous Mr. Luthor, I mean considering all the trouble we went through to make sure you were coddled all the way here. However, since you wish to dispense with the pleasantries, it is sufficient to tell you that – like any guinea pig – you are in your cage."

"Should you get the sudden urge to escape, fight it. You see, the table you're strapped to has been wired with enough voltage to fry you like an omelet. Break one of the bands holding you to the table, the circuit closes, and well….you get the picture."

"I'll keep that in mind, now would you mind telling me who you are?"

"Seeing as it will not do you any good, you can call me Block and my talkative associate over there, Wagner. As for what we want, we just want to know how in the world you obtained those out-of-this-world abilities that you showcased not too long ago."

"I'm afraid you have me at a loss Block, I have no idea what you are talking about."

Appearing to loose some of the swagger that he had been showing, Block leaned in closer to Lex, and slammed his fist onto the table Lex was strapped to.

"Stop playing the fool with me Lex! We both know you were the one to break into the Pentagon, all the while flicking away bullets as those they were gnats….and you came out of there without even so much as a bruise. You see Lex; we had access to the only operational satellite on Dark Thursday, so we are well aware of your abilities. We are simply after the answer as to how you obtained these abilities."

Seeing Block starting to get emotional, Lex decided to test the guy, and see how far he could be pushed.

"I'm afraid your intelligence is flawed, and I'm sure that my people are already onto you."

"Your people huh, I suppose you would be referring to the joker we caught snooping around outside, right? Pontius wasn't it? You know the problem with snooping around in this part of town; you get a bullet in your head – just like 'your people'. Though really Lex, I expected more than one P.I. to be coming after you, but I can assure you that had there been more; they would have met the same fate. I'll tell you what Lex; I'm going to let you think about that for a while, and then we'll see how cute you are."

With that Block turn and walked away from Lex, motioning for Wagner to follow him. Lex watched both men walk around a corner and out of sight. He then heard a metal gate open and close shortly there after. However, given the information Block had given him regarding his restraints, there was little for Lex to do but wait and try to plan out his next move when his captors returned.

Outside the warehouse, Block and Wagner walk up to a black stretch-limo, and proceed to knock on the back passenger-side door's window. The occupant rolled the tinted-window down slowly and a shadowy figure issued the following quandary.

"Where do we stand?"

Block proceeds to quickly summarize the events that have transpired since securing Lex in the warehouse and how they left Lex before showing up to report.

"I think he knows more that he's letting on, give him a few days to cook. Knowing Lex; he'll run the gambit of scenarios as to how to proceed. Once enough time has passed with no other security teams making a play on the warehouse, he'll start talking. Accurate information is the key to any other steps we take from here, but I do not want to push Lex for answers. If we press him too aggressively, too quickly, he'll clam-up and I have reviewed the effects of interrogation/pharmaceuticals on him – they don't deliver. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

"What's the ETA for establishing the encrypted security feed we discussed?"

"The encrypted feeds are up and running now sir, and per your instructions there are no recordings or back-ups of any kind being kept at this location. The fail safe you requested is also up and running. Should the cordoned off area Lex is in become compromised or damaged in anyway, all security transmissions will cease and all the equipment on site will auto-destruct."

"Very well, be sure that the feed packet path is periodically cycled, even with the myriad of encrypted router sites we are running; I do not want there to be any slip-ups. One more thing gentlemen, I never authorized the use of lethal force. Your sloppy handling of the late Robert Pontius will be addressed once this operation is at an end. If anyone and I do mean ANYONE else, should show up around this facility, you are to only detain them. They are not, I repeat, they are not to be terminated – do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir, crystal clear sir."

With that the window rolled up and the limo departed from the warehouse district. Block and Wagner made their way back to the warehouse. Once inside they headed toward the make-shift surveillance room in the corner set up with live camera feeds from all points around the warehouse exterior, interior, and a dedicated feed trained on Lex.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After placating Lois' numerous inquisitions of what outfits 'made her look fat', Chloe was finally able to get Lois out of the Kent's house. During her placations, Chloe also tried her best attempt to convince Lois that what she thought she saw was brought on by exhaustion. However, Lois maintained that what she saw was real and insisted they drive out to where she saw the barn door land.

So, Chloe decided that since getting Lois to dismiss what she saw was out, she would have to come up with a plausible explanation for how a barn door could fall from the sky. When it came to making up excuses for Clark's abilities, in the past Chloe had come up with some doozies, and had always withstood the _Lane Litmus Test_. The first thing that sprung to mind was the fact that they were in the middle of 'Tornado Alley'.

Although given weather conditions at the time, downburst winds as a result of a dry microburst would be much more plausible. Also, knowing that Lois would be on a fact-finding rant, Chloe knew these explanations could easily be verified by an internet search. Even with her excuse ready, having seen the barn sans the door, and getting the explanation from Clark; Chloe was still impressed at the sight before her.

As they exited Lois' car and walked towards what could now be referred to as an impromptu piece of art; Lois took on an air of 'see I told you' as she spoke.

"See, I told you it wasn't exhaustion. I am no Chicken Licken and no way is that a seed from an oak tree."

"Whoa, you're right Lo; even oak trees in Smallville don't drop acorns like this."

"So how is this even remotely explainable by conventional reasoning? The Kent farm is miles away from here."

"Look Lois, this is definitely weird. I will concede that to you, but this isn't 'Wall of Weird'. This is a prime example of what happens as a result of downburst winds."

"Say what?"

"Think of them as invisible, miniature tornadoes. We are in an area that is relatively flat, which allows cold dry polar air from Canada to meet warm moist tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico – thus extreme changes in temperature precipitate the event. Heck Lois, we are in 'Tornado Alley' for crying out loud, you should have seen the place four years ago."

"Chloe, it was sunny and warm remember you were the one that kept telling me it was exhaustion from the heat and sun. Ergo there was nothing extreme going on with the weather."

"You probably wouldn't have noticed it Lois, these changes usually occur in the upper atmosphere. There have been reports that these downburst winds have snapped power line poles in two. Plus there have been several fatal plane crashes attributed to the phenomenon over the past several decades."

"Okay cuz, either you've been watching way too much Science Channel or the past year at the Daily Planet has changed you into a cynical skeptic."

"Lois, it's called being a realist. You may want to consider trying it for yourself once in a while."

"Look, you're the one who's always telling me that science can only explain a fractional part of what goes on in this flaky town."

"That's right Lois and I have seen enough of the weird things that go on here to know the difference. You sometimes have to accept that every now and then the solutions you're looking for are a mere Google search away."

"You win Chloe but I'm not done looking into this. Come on, I'll take you to work and you'll be kind enough to let me run that 'mere Google search' while you're there."

Chloe nodded in agreement and then, as if on cue, the barn door slammed from its vertical perch down flat onto the ground. The cousins looked at each other, shrugged, and made their way back to the car to head out to the Daily Planet.

Chloe first thought that the barn door crashing down might cause Lois to go off on another rant on their way to Metropolis. However, Chloe was surprised to find that Lois kept quiet for the entire trip. Lois seemed to have a calculating look on her face, something that was foreign to Chloe.

She was used to Lois charging into things without any kind of forethought but decided not to press the issue. Upon arriving at the Planet, Chloe was able to set Lois up on a vacant terminal in the copy room. It was just down the hall so that Lois could do the research she was so fired up about. In the mean time, Chloe went to work at her desk in the basement.

Lois found multiple sources on the web confirming the information Chloe had given her in regards to downburst winds. There was even an account of severe damage done to the Hubbard farm back some twenty years ago under the Smallville Ledger's archives. Not only was the face of their barn sheered off, but their porch and part of the roof on their house was torn clean away.

Lois hated to admit it but it was looking more and more like Chloe was right. Still, Lois wanted to be sure so she decided to try searching through the Daily Planet's database for similar occurrences. However, the proprietary software that the Daily Planet used to store their information and Lois were not exactly compatible. In a fit of frustration Lois pounded the desk she was sitting at which startled an unprepared Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy, stunned from the hullabaloo from what was normally a relatively quiet area, lost balance of the office boxes of paperwork he was carrying to scan into the Planet's database. The crash of folders and files caused Lois to turn around from her discord with the computer.

"Hey _string bean_, sorry I mean Jimmy, good timing! This annoying database and I are at serious odds here. Chloe got me set up on this terminal, but I did not get a crash course in how to run the Planet's database."

"Uh sure, no problem Lois, would you mind helping me collect these papers first? I'm supposed to get all this logged into the system in order, and now everything's…."

"Made like a 52-pick-up-routine and spread all over the place? No sweat Jimmy, we'll get this back in order in a jiffy. If there's one thing you learn being a military brat, it's how to sort through all the paperwork in short order."

A short while later Lois and Jimmy gathered all of the scattered documents, organized, collated, and filed them in their appropriate folders and stored them safely in the corner. While they had been working, Lois explained to Jimmy the project she was working on and the information she was trying to find in the Planet's database relating to weather phenomena.

After Jimmy had the keyboard, mouse, and monitor back in place (as they had trailed off just a bit from Lois' assault on the desk) they sat down to look up said information. Lois had to hand it to Jimmy; he knew his way around the Planet's database like a real-world pro. He even went the extra mile by jotting down some reference notes for Lois should she find that she needed to use the database again.

"Thanks Jimmy, I appreciate the help and the notes. Oh and I apologize for the _string bean_ crack back when I was in the hospital. You know they pump all sorts of medicine into a person, and sometimes you'll say things that you don't mean to say."

"Your welcome and thanks for the apology. I gotta say, you were mighty commanding that day even with being on meds, have you ever considered a career in law enforcement?"

"Nah, the pay is not worth the aggravation and knowing me I would probably be kicked off the force the first day, or worse, for excessive use of enforcement methods."

They both laughed at Lois' smart-alec remark; though they figured it was as much the truth as it was smart-alec.

"Well I better get to work on those papers, thanks again for your help in getting them in order Lois; you're a real life saver."

"Forget it, as far as I'm concerned we're even, you saved my bacon with this database and finding the information I was looking for. Speaking of which, I should probably get out of here so I can start putting all of this together."

"Okay, see you later Lois, this was kind of fun."

"Yeah, who knows, maybe I'll look you up again if I get bogged down with computer issues."

Lois playfully punched him on the right shoulder as she got up to leave the copy room, to which he kiddingly said "Ouch!" and they both laughed. She then went back to Chloe's desk and found her logging off her computer.

"So, how'd it go Lo, find everything you were hunting for?"

"Sure did and you'll be proud of me I ran into ole _string bean_, I mean Jimmy – dang I gotta fix that - and I apologized for the whole _string bean_ crack. He helped me pull some data from the Planet's database; you know he's a pretty good egg."

"Wow, let me take this down, Lois Lane gave an apology and a complement to another human being. Yup, that's got Pulitzer written all over it!"

"Very funny cuz, for that I'm letting you buy dinner on the way back home."

"Fair enough but since I'm buying I decide where we go for dinner, hope you like Italian."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Oliver Queen leisurely strode around the office area of his newly acquired penthouse in Metropolis. Queen Industries had been performing well as of late, despite all the turmoil from Dark Thursday; of course having the only working satellite on that horrible day hadn't hurt things either.

Oliver came to a stop at the glass doors to the balcony which overlooked the skyline of Metropolis. New business endeavors availed to the company made his trip to Metropolis more than plausible to the board of directors. While Oliver was a savvy businessman in his own right; it was the fact that the source of the chaos of Dark Thursday had been traced here that interested Oliver more than new business.

Besides he had a myriad of assistants, managers, and associates that he delegated much of the day-to-day operations to. These assets afforded him the ability to see to his _other_ responsibilities – those he promised to himself and his parents' memory. And these responsibilities required him to keep all his skills, mental and physical, as sharp as an arrow.

And as such he was expecting a visitor anytime now given that a few days had now passed since the latest plan he'd coordinated had been put into play. As if on queue, the security monitor on his desk that was dedicated to elevator movement beeped to alert him of activity.

Oliver made his way over to check the monitor, which was also conveniently located out of the line-of-sight to the elevator. With a grin of satisfaction at being able to anticipate the occupant's moves, Oliver keyed the pass code into the security console at his desk, allowing the elevator access to the penthouse. He then walked over to greet his guest.

Lionel Luthor exited the penthouse with the usual commanding air that he carried into any room, although Oliver was not impressed or intimidated by Lionel's theatricality. In Oliver's experience, Lionel had always made the mistake of unintentionally telling you exactly what he was after. All one had to do in order to beat him was listen to what was said, and separate the important parts from the showmanship.

"Welcome, Lionel Luthor! Wow, all those hostile takeovers haven't aged you a day. Tell me, what's your secret to eternal youth?"

"Well, perhaps I should give some credence to a nightly nip. Take this 40-year-old Highland Scotch for example; it certainly helps in smoothing away the stress from a day. I wholeheartedly recommend it. Welcome to Metropolis, Oliver."

Accepting the bottle of scotch with a mocking look of admiration Oliver replied, "It's a very nice gesture, thank you for the munificent gift. Although I guess I should not be surprised should I? You have always been such a magnanimous fellow."

Lionel smirked somewhat in retort to Oliver's comment and said, "Yes, you know Oliver, when I read in the newspapers 'Oliver Queen moves to Metropolis', I was very intrigued. Here you have gone and made such a name for yourself in Star City. What would entice you to relocate?"

"For one thing….how can a person resist these views?" Oliver nodded toward the expansive doors to the balcony that looked out on the evening Metropolis skyline. "Not to mention the cool and crisp Midwestern air."

"Tell me Oliver, have you had a chance to touch base with my son since you've been in town?"

"No, I'm afraid I haven't had the chance to, been meaning to. How is good ole Lex doing by the way? Has he been able to figure out how to escape the constrictions of your shadow?"

"Oh, I think you would be surprised Oliver, you see he has changed quite a bit since your time together at boarding-school."

"Hmm, well, all of us have changed since then Lionel. You know something; you have been an inspiration to me Lionel. I'm gonna give him a call today, we can reminisce about the good old days."

"You may encounter some difficulty in contacting him as it would appear that Lex has been abducted."

Although he revealed no emotional reaction with his facial features, Oliver decided to add a bit of concern to his tone as he replied, "Lex…..abducted…..oh my God."

Not to be outdone, Lionel refrained from any kind of scowl or frown from gracing his face to convey the mixture of frustration and irritation that Oliver's remark elicited. Instead, he merely added a bit of daft sarcasm to his tone as he replied to Oliver's comment.

"Oh, oh, Oliver I remember, in the school plays back at the Excelsior Academy, you were always so good. Yes, you were always so convincing in all your roles, why I'm surprised you're not part of the Screen Actor's Guild today."

"Lionel, I am involved in a wide array of business ventures, as you are well aware of. However, you can rest assured that kidnapping is not one of them."

"I do recall, quite vividly, that you have a rather unpleasant history with my son. I am also aware of the fact that Queen Industries had the only functional satellite on Dark Thursday."

Still unfazed by Lionel's inquisition, Oliver replied with a simple "Hmm."

Lionel was tiring of this tête-à-tête so he decided to cut to the chase as he saw there was little more to gain from this conversation.

"I know, I know, Oliver. You have overcome tragedies and adversities in your young life that most people would not contemplate having to go through in a lifetime. However, if I discover that you have so much as laid a hand on Lex, the word 'suffer' will take on a whole new meaning, the likes of which you have never seen."

"Why Lionel, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were threatening me."

Lionel turned and went back into the elevator to leave the apartment, but before the doors to the elevator closed he remarked. "Have an enjoyable stay here in Metropolis, Oliver…no matter how short that stay may be."

And with the departure of the elder Luthor, a younger Luthor elected to make his entrance. Lucas had been in an adjacent office to the main area of the penthouse, it was equipped with a myriad of live surveillance feeds.

Among them was a feed from the 'only working satellite on Dark Thursday', and feeds from inside an ominous looking warehouse. Lucas appeared sated after observing the meeting which had just concluded between Lionel and Oliver; he strode over to the doors leading to the balcony and waited for Oliver to speak.

"So, how's my old school mate adjusting to his new surroundings, comfortable?"

"As well as one would expect Oliver, we know it'll take time to get through his bravado, but given his behavioral track record he'll give us the information we're looking for. However, there was some collateral damage brought on by the ineptitude of Block and Wagner. They have been instructed to refrain from any means of lethal force. I also made it implicitly clear that their handling of Pontius will be addressed when the operation is over. Don't worry; I've made arrangements to have the P.I.'s remains taken care of."

"I like the idea of using Block and Wagner less and less, I know their years of past experience with covert ops make them ideal for this operation, but we cannot afford a dead asset."

"Agreed, that's why I made sure that we also have eyes and ears on the operation, just as an added insurance policy to Block and Wagner being too overzealous in their work. I see your meeting with dear ole dad went as expected."

"Yup, even got a bottle of 40-year-old Highland Scotch out of the deal, Lionel worked harder to make it look like he's really concerned about Lex's wellbeing than I imagined he would. I guess the murmurs I've been hearing about him appearing to have turned over a new leaf have merit. Funny, I have been approached by Senator Kent's office for a meeting to discuss pending legislation that they believe Queen Industries may find of interest. Yet, from what I've discovered in running the usual due diligence on Senator Kent, I would not have figured her to have garnered support from the likes of Lionel."

"What can I say Oliver, the Kent family has always been an interesting case study for the Luthors. Besides, from what I've learned from going through the records of when Martha Kent worked at LuthorCorp as Dad's assistant, she was responsible for many of the more fiscally sound/publicly popular decisions made during that time. I'd say a meeting between you and the good senator would be beneficial to all parties concerned."

"Hmm, we'll see one crossroad at a time – especially with any involving Lex."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Chloe spent the following morning with Martha, helping her run errands in town, and trying to keep her spirits up. Neither of them were used to seeing Clark feeling bad, even though they had seen it in the past, it certainly wasn't the norm when it came to Clark.

Martha spoke again about how much she had relied on Jonathan when it came to situations like this, or when Clark was developing a new ability. Chloe reassured her that Jonathan was always still with them, in their hearts. She also noted that knowledge gained going through Clark's previous 'growing pains' would get them through this latest situation. Martha thanked Chloe for the reassurance and for being such a good friend to her. Chloe's efforts appeared to pay off as Martha's spirits were much more jovial when they returned to the farm. While gathering the last of the shopping bags from the truck, Martha was finishing an anecdote that involved Clark first using his strength as a toddler.

"So, Jonathan decided to crawl under the bed in order to coax Clark out. Now mind you this bed was made by Jonathan's grandfather, Hiram, from solid oak and weighed every bit of five hundred pounds. Well, Jonathan had just gotten under the bed when all of a sudden the bed went into the air, with nothing but this little toddler holding it up. We stared at each other for a moment with our mouths open, then Jonathan quickly moved out from under where the bed used to rest, and I managed to finally talk Clark into putting the bed down."

"Wow that must have been some speech!"

"Not so much a speech as a comedic plea, I could just see that bed going straight through the floor if Clark wasn't careful. I can tell you that occasion marked the fastest I had ever seen Jonathan move. Ole Hiram would never believe that bed he spent so much time on would end up in the air, by a toddler's hand no less."

"Sounds like the Select Comfort Mattress folks need to consult Clark in order to really find the secret to sleeping on air!"

Martha and Chloe walked in the kitchen, still with smiles on their faces, and began putting the groceries away. Clark was sitting at the kitchen table with a towel over his head, breathing in the vapors from another round of cold medicine/warm water mix that was still steaming in a bowl before him. Martha paused from putting away things to check on Clark.

"How are you getting along today sweetheart?"

Clark moved the towel off his head and laid it behind his neck. "Well, I'm still not used to having a _cold-medicine-sauna_ in my face every few hours. Everyone seems to get excited about colds with the axiom, 'feed a cold, starve a fever', but it's definitely not all it's cracked up to be in my opinion."

Having finished putting away the last of the groceries, Chloe walked over with a few DVDs they picked up, and decided to put her two cents worth in.

"It's not all doom and gloom Clark; you can rest up on the couch and watch some of these movies with me. Plus your Mom and I got all the fixings we need for her to make her world-famous chicken casserole."

"Chloe, I can watch DVDs after I take care of the irrigation ditch, weed the garden and..."

"Look Clark, I know you feel like you have to work on projects all the time, I can relate – especially when I'm entrenched in a story. However, the irrigation ditch is not going anywhere and I think the garden will survive the weeds growing one day."

"Okay, okay, Chloe, you win, loafing and DVDs it is."

"Great, just do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Give me fair warning if you feel a sneeze creeping up on you. This _is_ Kansas and I don't want to wind up like Dorothy, caught in a tornado."

"Okay, you're gonna get it for that one."

Clark got up to teasingly chase Chloe into the family room, but they were both halted by a knock at the door. Martha answered the door and let in a now familiar guest to the Kent household.

"Lionel, I wasn't expecting you until this afternoon for our meeting, is everything okay?"

"I'm here about Lex, he's missing. I believe he has been kidnapped."

Chloe asked, "Considering how many skeletons Lex has in his closet, isn't there a rogue's gallery that would take him for ransom? Have you received any contact from the kidnappers?"

"It's no secret that Lex lacks somewhat of a refined demeanor when it comes to his business dealings. However, all of my inquiries into those who might seek restitution of the sort you suggest have yielded no tangible links to his disappearance. Also no, there have been no demands of ransom made, and I would have expected one by now; especially after the incident with Rachel Dunleavy a few years ago.

My instinctive reaction was the government, what with the classified materials he stole from the Pentagon. However, after speaking to my many contacts in Washington, I don't believe that to be the case. You have to find him, Clark."

"Why? He's thrown away every attempt I've made at re-establishing any resemblance of the friendship we used to have. Lex and I have nothing to do with each other anymore."

"No but you and General Zod do. Lex is adamant in his claims that he cannot remember anything about what transpired while he was possessed, but he may not be being honest about that. It is conceivable that he remembers everything that happened during that time. Therefore it is also possible that whoever is holding him, if they apply enough pressure, could cause him to tell the truth….about you."

"Okay, I'll look into it." Then with a knowing glance toward Chloe, Clark added, "I've been meaning to stop by the mansion to talk to Lana anyway."

"Before you go, there's one more thing you all need to be aware of. Lex's brother, Lucas, showed up at my office a few days ago. Lucas is apparently aware of the feats Lex displayed on Dark Thursday and claims he's here to ascertain how Lex acquired such abilities. Be careful son."

Chloe walked over and took Clark by the hand, "Clark, let's go, I'll drop you off at the mansion, I'm going back to the Daily Planet to see what more I can dig up."

With that, they departed the farm house, leaving Lionel and Martha standing in the kitchen. Martha was good at reading people, and could tell something more was bothering Lionel. She walked over so as to stand beside him, and as they watched Clark and Chloe depart the farm; Martha put a comforting hand on Lionel's shoulder.

"Something else is bothering you Lionel, what is it?"

"Martha, you have so much going on right now, I'd much rather not burden you with it – especially when I've not yet concluded where all the pieces of this imbroglio are."

"Lionel, listen, I know you are used to taking on everything that is thrown at you on your own, but one thing having a son like Clark has taught me is that no one can take on everything alone. And just as Clark and I trust you with his secret, you need to learn trust me. Please Lionel, let me help you."

"You win Martha, its Lucas, or rather something Lucas said, which worries me. He alluded to events that transpired involving Clark when they last met. The inference with which he spoke of the events from when they last met: an accident while playing basketball that he likened to colliding with a steel wall and Clark's intervention when a gunman on a motorcycle attempted to shoot him…."

"Do you think he believes Clark is somehow responsible for Lex's actions on Dark Thursday?"

"Thus the imbroglio I mentioned, Lucas was quite direct that his motive for being here was to find out how Lex gained his abilities. However, given his sociopathic tendencies of the past, I would be remiss to not analyze everything he said during our short meeting. I think Lucas is grasping at straws to connect the dots his sociopathic mind has laid out. After Lucas' comments, I checked and discovered he's checked incident reports that log Clark as having been present on numerous occasions."

"I do not believe he has any hard evidence to connect Lex's show of abilities to Clark, as none of the reports Lucas accessed relay any specific action Clark may have taken. Still, in Lucas' twisted mind, there was enough that he views Clark as a possible mitigating factor."

"Lionel, if Lucas suspected something about Clark, wouldn't he have tried something long before now?"

"Not necessarily, knowledge is power, and given the upbringing Lucas endured, jumping from foster home to foster home, I'm sure it's a lesson he learned well. He may have been just bidding his time with this suspicion, or he may have been testing the waters to see if I'd give any reaction that conveyed knowledge I might have concerning Clark. Of course my brand of parenting in raising Lucas – that is keeping him at arm's length with a checkbook – only served to embellish his mindset."

"Until we have more answers, I think its best we presume Lucas believes Clark isn't normal. I appreciate you making me aware of this Lionel. Do remember this, a person cannot undo past actions they've taken, but they can always change the actions they have yet to take. I know your world did not lend itself to the methods of parenting that Jonathan used, but a father can always still teach his son."

"I fear that Lucas and Lex may be beyond the point of being swayed by any council I could give, but I will take your suggestion under advisement. You were the best associate and advisor I ever had the pleasure of working with. Kansas is indeed fortunate to have a person such as you as its senator, and I am even more fortunate to have you as a friend."

"Lionel, we've been through a lot over the years, and I know we'll get through this. You have told me on more than one occasion that you are always here for me. I appreciate all you have done for Clark and I, and I want you to know that I am always there for you too."

It was unplanned, unexpected, even by Lionel, but Martha turned to him and they shared a chaste osculation. In parting one looked at the other, both unsure of what to say. Despite the surprise of it all, Lionel regained his composure quickly.

"Good day to you senator, I'll be in touch with anything more I learn about Lucas."

Martha simply nodded to him and with that Lionel exited the farm house to return to Metropolis.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

There were a lot more security guards in all the corridors than what Clark remembered from his last visit. The increased security gave the mansion a feeling of being a fortress rather than an upscale domicile. As Clark neared the study, he was not looking forward to the conversation ahead of him.

However, it was a conversation that was long overdue, and seeing as how Chloe was doing her best to maintain a friendship with Lana; Clark owed it to Chloe to find a common ground of friendship with Lana. Then there were Lionel's concerns about what Lex might remember from being inhabited by Zod, but beyond that; Clark wondered if Lana might have told Lex anything.

Although he had never outright told Lana everything about him, Clark new she had a penchant for rooting out any secrets she thought may be harbored in a relationship. So with all these thoughts in the forefront of his mind, Clark sighed to himself, and entered the study to find Lana sitting at the piano.

"If you are looking for Lex, he's not here Clark."

"Lana, Lex is missing, Lionel believes someone may have kidnapped him."

"Oh my God, has Lionel heard anything from the kidnappers?"

"No, no word from anyone claiming responsibility for Lex's disappearance yet. Lana, has Lex talked about any recent threats against him? Anything you can think of, no matter how insignificant it may seem, might be important and could help me find him."

"Clark, I'm confused here, why are you the one leading the search party for Lex?"

"Look Lana, I know we've had our differences, and I know Lex and I are not the best of friends these days, but that doesn't mean I want Lex to get hurt."

"Is that the truth Clark, or do you have your own agenda for finding Lex? For instance, how was it that you knew Lex was going to be changed into something that nearly destroyed everything long before anyone else had a clue?"

"Lana, this is important, did you mention any of this to Lex before he went missing?"

"Clark, this is – and always has been – about being honest. No, I have not said anything to Lex about any of this, yet. You can't keep pushing people for answers when you never give any yourself, especially in a situation like this."

"If I knew all the answers then I'd already have Lex safely back home, but I don't. I didn't come here to fight with you; I came here to help find out what happened to Lex."

"All right then, do what you can to help find him. Do me a favor though, don't pretend that you're doing all of this for Lex."

"Look Lana, I know this isn't the best time, but there's something else. You've talked about how important honesty is to you, and I want to be upfront with you about this."

"What is it Clark?"

"It's about Chloe…."

"Clark, Chloe is like a sister to me. If there's something wrong with her you need to tell me."

"No, there's nothing wrong with her. Chloe and I have been spending a lot of time together, more so than usual. After discussing it, we decided it would be best if you heard the news from me, we're seeing each other."

"Wow, so it seems you've grown-up and moved past whatever hang-ups you had."

"Lana, I know how important your friendship is to Chloe, and I don't want your friendship to suffer from her and I being together."

"Don't worry Clark; I've always wanted Chloe to be happy. When you're with someone that you care about, and they feel the same about you – it makes all the difference in the world."

Clark nodded at Lana's reply, turned, and left the study – closing the door behind him. He paused outside for a moment, his enhanced hearing kicked in. Lana was dialing a phone number, after several rings the call went to a recording. It was a standard recording that stated the caller had reached the office of Robert Pontius.

Clark had caught a break by getting a name to go on, so he sped off to catch up with Chloe at the Planet. Hopefully they'd find out something about this Robert Pontius that would lead them to Lex.

Meanwhile, Lana hung up the phone without leaving a message. Lex had given her Robert Pontius' number and told her to contact him in an emergency. Lex had assured her that Robert Pontius was the best private investigator in Metropolis and would insure her safety. Lana began to search Lex's desk for any notes, memos, or records of anything he might have been working on that could have lead to his disappearance.

Upon opening a small storage bin, Lana found a remote control she had not seen before. She switched the power on to the remote and suddenly the bookcase next to her slid back into the wall. Then a large glass panel, with a myriad of security monitors covering the estate set into it, slid down where the bookcase had been.

"Not exactly movie night at the Talon, is it? Hi Lana, it's been a long time."

Lucas had entered the study through the side entrance. Lana hadn't heard him while the bookcase and security displays where in the process of moving into place. She was momentarily taken aback by his sudden appearance, but found her voice in good order.

"Lucas? What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same question. Do you normally go snooping around someone's desk when they're away from it?"

"I do when I've just found out they've gone missing."

Lana returned her attention to the main security monitor, which was playing back old footage. The footage running was from the room Lana was staying in, though Lana had no knowledge of their being a security camera in the room. Lana watched in stunned silence as she saw herself walk into view and changing into the clothes that she'd laid out on her bed for the day.

"My, my, we've been keeping ourselves in shape. I can certainly see what caught Lex's eye about you Lana. You certainly have filled out nicely in just the right places over the years. Lex is a very lucky man."

Snapped from her trance by Lucas' remark, Lana pressed another switch on the remote that caused the feed on the main security monitor to change to footage from the study. Lana then proceeded to back the footage up to where Lex was speaking, apparently in some distress, to Robert Pontius and let the recording play from there.

………"_followed again today, would you mind telling me what I'm paying you for?"_

"_Let me guess, another black SUV with the same plates I traced back to Edge City, right? That's why I'm here Mr. Luthor; I trailed it back to an abandoned warehouse on 5th and Hayworth. However, I am still trying to find out who the men in the SUV are working for."_

"_Then I suggest you refrain from dawdling here any longer, and get to work finding some answers."_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Wagner finished the latest recycling of the security feed going out from the warehouse. Lex still had not given them anymore information as to how he acquired his abilities. While both he and Block had years of training under their belts, he could tell Lex was starting to get to Block. Instead of paying attention to the task at hand, Block was getting restless, pacing the make-shift surveillance room, and mumbling about how they needed to take things to the next level.

Wagner turned off the strobe lights and blaring noise that had been fed into Lex's cage for the past several hours. Turning his chair around to let Block know it was time to question the subject again, he was alarmed to see Block loading a gun with live rounds.

"What do you think you're doing Block? We have been strictly instructed not to use lethal force."

"Yeah, who said anything about lethal force? We both know a man can be shot several times without a fatal result. And think about it, we get this guy to spill his guts about how he acquired those abilities – we've now got a hot commodity for the open market."

"Block, I know you pride yourself on being a visionary, but we've been hired to do a job. And the kind of people we work for pay us to do as ordered, not to think outside the box. Besides, remember how your last 'great idea' turned out in Kirkuk? The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, remember? We were supposed to have a simple task of overseeing security for the elections of their first Provincial Council. Instead we almost wound up getting killed by rocket smugglers when your side-deal for picking-up their 'cheap ammunition' went south!"

"So what, no risk – no reward, remember that Wagner! It was a deal of a lifetime; we could have moved that armament on the black market with ease. And the deal would have worked if you had not been harping at me about the time table through my com-link. Why are you complaining anyway? If you'll recall we took out the entire smuggling group – which was what you wanted to do when I first explained the particulars of the plan! You never did have the stomach to do what was necessary in order to capitalize on the situation – so it really was a win-win situation for you! So, you were shot at, big deal, we've been trained for that kind of thing. Besides that, Kirkuk is the past, this is the present. And even you have to understand that when opportunity knocks, you have to answer – especially when the reward is this good."

"Block, we still have to answer for what happened with Pontius, and as good an opportunity as you think this may be – I don't want to risk making a strained situation worse."

"How about this for a strained situation Wagner, you either get in-line with my latest endeavor, or you'll wind up like Pontius."

Block then locked the hammer back, pointed the gun at Wagner's forehead, and waited a moment for a response. Wagner had worked with Block long enough to know when he was bluffing…..and this was not a bluff. Satisfied by Wagner's silence, Block moved the gun away and put the hammer back into its rest position.

"Smart decision; now don't press me anymore during this operation." With that Block turned and left the make shift surveillance room to question Lex.

"Hey, Lex, rise and shine Mr. Moneybags! It's pop-quiz time!" Block locks the hammer back on his gun as he walks up to Lex.

"What are you doing Block? I have already told you that I don't remember anything that happened on Dark Thursday."

"I know you did Lex but we both know things did happen on that day. Now I am going to see those amazing feats of yours happen again."

Pointing the gun at Lex's right arm, Lex cries out in vain, "Please don't!!...No!!....No!!" Block fires a single shot that hits Lex's right arm. While the bullet passes through doing no permanent damage, it still delivers the desired effect of putting Lex in agonizing pain screaming, "Ah...oh my God!!" Block grins with a measure of satisfaction at seeing Lex in turmoil, and waits a moment for Lex to quit bawling to continue.

"Now, let's try this again Lex. Tell me, what did you do or take that changed you from a runt into an amped fighting machine?"

"How many different ways can I tell you the same thing? I don't know!"

"Come on Lex! We both know that LuthorCorp has made billions with its advances in agriculture thanks to breakthroughs in genetics. It's no secret that LuthorCorp has branched out from there into biogenetics. Specifically; researching means of enhancing a person's strength. Clearly, you have undergone some sort of genetic therapy. What did you take?"

"There's no way on earth you'll believe me, but here's the truth. I was taken over by an entity from another planet, and this being gave me the abilities. When the alien being vacated my body, it took all those abilities with it. I know how it sounds but it's the truth, I promise you."

Block then put the gun right under Lex's chin, up to his neck. He then clicks the hammer back into locked position asking, "Do you take me for a fool?"

"Why would I call someone who has just shot me a fool? The last thing I am trying to do here is antagonize you."

"Lex, that first gunshot was nothing but an attention getter! Now this next one may actually do some damage. Tell me; do want to be able to have children someday?"

"Okay!! Okay, you win! There is an experimental immunotoxin. You can find it on the 33rd floor of the LuthorCorp building. It will be in the vault's central storage bay, and the pass code to gain access is Julian452."

At Lex's confession, Block slowly moved the gun away and unlocked the hammer to its rest position. He eyed Lex for a moment more, as if gauging if whether or not what he'd said was true, before returning to the surveillance room.

"Okay Wagner, you heard him, get going. I'll keep an eye on our guest."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Clark found himself breathing heavily as he made his way to the Planet, a sensation he was not used to. His speed had given out on him on his way over from the Luthor mansion, so he had to jog the rest of the way there. Clark was thankful the ride down to the basement on the elevator provided him some time to catch his breath.

Chloe would never let him live it down if she'd saw him gasping for breath like that, he could just hear her snarking, "_you need to get in better shape_" or "_should we sign you up with AARP?_". Yup, he was grateful to have caught his breath by the time the elevator doors opened to the basement.

Going through one of the double doors that led to the bullpen, Clark spotted Chloe on her way back from the coffee station. Seeing Clark enter the bullpen, looking wiped out, Chloe quickly made her way over to him. She put a comforting hand on his arm, as she led him back to her desk.

"Clark, I never imagined hearing myself say this, but you don't look so good."

"Well, I don't feel so good. My speed gave out on me around 8th Avenue and I wound up hoofing it the rest of the way here."

Moving a chair from the side of her desk around so it was situated beside her own chair, Chloe motioned for Clark to sit down. Clark, grateful for the gesture, quickly took the seat with a sigh of relief.

"No wonder you look like you just finished a portion of the Ironman Triathlon. Just lean back and take it easy for the time being." Chloe then leaned in closer and said in a low-tone, "Just make sure you vacuum-seal your face should you have even a remote feeling of a sneeze, alright?"

Clark nodded in understanding and Chloe then took her seat beside Clark. She began to call up the information she'd been collecting on Lucas' past business dealings. While waiting for the files to open she turned to Clark asking, "So how did the visit with Lana go?"

"It's amazing, I really thought I knew Lana, but I guess all I ever saw was the mask she wanted me to see. Chloe, it's like I went to see a complete stranger. I told her about our change in status."

"How did she take the news?"

"Better than I expected, she made an off-handed remark about me finally growing-up and getting past my hang-ups. With everything you two have been through, I told her I didn't want this to affect your friendship. She assured me that our going out would not cause any problems, and that she was happy for you."

"Wow that's better than I imagined her reacting to the news. I know it must have been awkward for you Clark, I wish I could have been there with you."

"I'll admit it was a conversation I wasn't looking forward to having Chloe. But we agreed that telling Lana about us was my responsibility. I know you went through a lot of pain from the way you found out about Lana and I years ago when we first got together. I don't want to see anyone ever get hurt like that again. With how much Lana claims to value honesty, maybe being honest with her about us will allow her and me to try rebuilding a friendship."

Chloe's computer chimed in with its familiar beep, letting them know it had finished opening the research files she'd called up. Both of them turned to look at the computer screen.

"What were you able find out about Lucas and Lex?"

"After getting past all the LuthorCorp firewalls, I found that Lucas has had numerous dealings with LuthorCorp, although they have all been through their branch offices in Star City. There are a myriad of case records from various meetings that Lucas had with Lex, but all of them were relating to standard business manners – quarterly reports, stock forecasting, and filings with the FDA for pharmaceutical products."

"What about Lex's research into Milton Fine? We know he had search teams all over the globe, was Lucas involved with that?"

"No, it appears Lex played that endeavor pretty close to the vest. All the e-mails I hacked into with links to an encrypted blog titled 'Project Mercury 2.0' were limited to a very select group of scientists and security personnel. However, this is interesting, remember the run in we had with Victor Stone?"

"The Met High wide receiver infused with a ton of bionics? Yeah, I remember him, what's he got to do with Lucas?"

"I hacked into Cyntechnics' servers and found multiple encrypted e-mails logged between Lex, Lucas, and Dr. Alistair Kreig regarding Victor and his progress from the experiments."

"Wait a minute; I thought Dr. Kreig was overseeing the Machina Project back then, not Lucas."

"You're right, Dr. Kreig was the lead scientist for the project, but Lucas was acting as 'the Luthor in charge' when it came to day-to-day management of the project and the company. Lucas made sure that he had secured plausible deniability as those encrypted logs were the only thing that associated him to the project."

"So, do you think it's safe to presume that Lucas is involved, or at least has knowledge of, what's going on with Lex's experiments on people that are meteor-infected?"

"If I was still a betting person, and I can promise you I'm not after our run in with Mikhail Mxyzptlk, I would double-down on that presumption."

"That's good enough for me. With all the information you had access to; were you able to find anything that might explain what Lionel said about Lucas knowing about Lex's actions on Dark Thursday?"

Turning her head to look at Clark, Chloe exclaims with mock-disgust, "Clark, it's me remember, don't I always have something up my sleeve!?!"

Both of them grin, and Clark chuckles and shakes his head at Chloe's little joke.

"I'm sorry Chloe, I guess this head cold has dulled my normally astute mind, can you ever forgive me?" Clark replied in a humorous mocking tone, and gave her his best 'puppy-dog' look.

"Awwww, okay, okay I forgive you….that wasn't a fair move though."

"What?"

"You know what! Even after all this time, it's amazing how far that Kent charm will get you."

They stare at each other a moment, sheepish grins on both their faces. Although no words are spoken during this time, volumes are conveyed through their eye-contact. Then turning back to Chloe's computer, she continued with her exposition.

"As I was saying, I ran across several files which, after decrypting them, connected Lucas to a company called Artemis Global Consortium, ever heard of it?"

"No."

"Well, I did some checking and it turns out that Artemis Global Consortium is a subsidiary of Queen Industries. Queen Industries is an electronics manufacturing company headquartered out of Star City, which coincidentally, is where Lucas has been all this time. Now, I was not able to get access to it, but it turns out that Queen Industries had a satellite that stayed online during the events of Dark Thursday."

"Hold on a second, I thought Milton Fine's virus took out all of the satellites on that day, any ideas as to how they managed to keep theirs working?"

"Not a clue, their CEO, an Oliver Jonas Queen is either some kind of an engineering marvel or he has people working for him that worked-up some kind of special trade secret. Here's an interesting tidbit though, I did some checking into his background and it turns out he attended Excelsior Academy."

"That's the same boarding school Lex attended, okay, so is there any record of Lex and this Oliver having businesses disputes?"

"I had the same question but everything I checked into turned up a dead end. And speaking of Lex, even with everything I was able to pull from my hacking escapade into LuthorCorp, I couldn't find any records of recent threats made against him. What did Lana have to say about Lex's Houdini act?"

"Not much, as I was leaving she made a phone call. The call went to an answering machine for the office of a Robert Pontius."

"Clark, Robert Pontius is the highest-paid Sherlock Holmes in Metropolis."

"Then it sounds like Lex might have already suspected he was in trouble. I want to pay this guy a visit and see what he can tell us."

Chloe closed out all of the research data she'd collected. While waiting on a query for Robert Pontius' address, Chloe turned to face Clark and made the following observation. "I imagine after escaping the Kryptonian version of Alcatraz, you did not figure on being sentenced to be in charge of a preverbal man-hunt for Lex all the while fighting a head cold, right?"

"Let's just say it did not make it to my top ten list of things to do when I made it out of there, no."

"I guess the benefits of being a hero don't include time-off for when you're under the weather."

Looking away from Chloe as he felt a measure of guilt wave over him from her words, Clark sighed to himself, and looked back up. "I don't suppose so, but then again heroes don't endanger people on what seems to becoming a yearly occasion. Of all the things I am, or may be, I am certainly not a hero Chloe."

Chloe's computer beeped, letting them know it had completed the address query, and served to break the moment of silence between the two. Clark looked to the computer screen and was the first to speak, "There we go, 515 Grant Street."

Chloe stood up, gathered her things, and looked at Clark saying, "You ready? Let's get going."

Clark looked at her quizzically saying, "Chloe, we don't know what we'll run into there, I don't want you getting hurt."

Chloe smiled empathetically at him saying, "I know Clark, I'll be careful, and there's no way I'm sitting this out. Besides, you need to rest up as much as you can since your speed quit on you getting here."

Clark nodded in agreement saying, "Well, when you put it that…that….that…wa…wa….."

"Oh no, not again! Clark!"

Clark quickly brought his left arm around to cover his face as he sneezed. A wave of relief passed both Clark and Chloe's face as she commented, "Nice save Clark! You're starting to get the hang of that."

Once he was sure that another sneeze was not going to follow the first, Clark got up and they left the Planet for Robert Pontius' office.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Jimmy was getting ready to leave the copy room with the latest edits he'd completed for the reporters in the bullpen. Although he was still an aspiring photographer, the good assignments were hard to get. Jimmy was in hopes that in return for proofing their stories, the reporters would call on him for photography work on future stories. Maybe it was a long shot to hope they would help him out, but it was better than no shot at all he thought to himself. Walking into the bullpen he noticed Lois enter through the double doors, heading towards Chloe's desk.

"Hey Lois…what's up…more research for your weather theory?"

"Hey Jimmy. No, I've got all the research I need for that little project. Have you seen Chloe?"

"Yeah, she and Clark left here a while ago. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Maybe…I was stopping by to deliver this knock-out punch of a story to the Editor in person."

"No kidding, I didn't know you were a journalist now."

"Here, take a look for yourself."

_Wild Wheather Hits Freakville by Lois Lane_, a look of surprise washed over Jimmy's face as he scanned over her work. "Man Lois, this is a pretty long article! I've been editing copy for the reporter's here in the bullpen and I've gotta say, this one's a doozy!"

"I stopped by the Smallville Ledger with it but they were too short-sighted to acknowledge my unique manner of investigative reporting. But seeing as how the Planet covers a much wider range of stories, I figured they'd be willing to run my story."

"Uh Lois, I hate to be the one to put the brakes on your drive to success, but I'm not sure an article about the weather is going to make the cut. I mean, the great stories – the tag line stories, the Planet have been running are still related, in some way, to the impacts from Dark Thursday."

"Maybe, but Chloe's always going on about how good reporters don't get the great stories; instead she insists that it's a dedicated reporter that makes stories great. And for your information, this story covers a lot more than just wicked weather, okay? Not only is it a disclosure on the supernatural, it's about the human spirit winning out against catastrophe. I mean, seriously, that barn door nearly split me in two!"

"Lois, I understand you're all gung-ho about this thing, but how many drafts did you write before going out to try to get the article published?"

"Two, maybe three drafts I guess, why?"

"Well, it's just I don't recall there being an 'e' in 'breath'."

"Okay, so there's a grammatical error in there."

"What about the additional 'h' in 'weather', Lois, ever heard of spell-check?"

Irked at being confronted with her myriad of typos, Lois quickly takes the article back from Jimmy and replies, "You know something Jimmy? I think you're just envious that my gift of gab sets up such a complete story that no pictures are necessary to help dress it up."

"Lois, I may be envious of certain qualities you have, but your way with words does not spring to mind as being one of them."

"Whatever, the heck with the Daily Planet! I'm not so desperate as to beg this uptight, so-called refined establishment to print my work. I'm confident that there's a newspaper somewhere willing to print news that the people ought to know about."

"Then I wish you the best of luck in your hunt for that newspaper Lois. Sorry if I ruffled your feathers, I was just trying to help."

"Don't worry about Jimmy, one thing you'll learn about me, when I set my mind to something – it takes a heck of a lot to keep me from it."

"Lois wait, look, let me make it up to you. I was just about to return these articles I edited to the other reporters in the bullpen. I still have some time so if you'll let me scan your article in real quick, I'll go through and edit the grammatical errors for you. What do you say?"

"I don't know Jimmy, I mean I've gotten the words just the way I want them and…"

"Don't worry Lois, I promise I won't alter your wording, just run a basic spell check and grammar check. That way you won't have anybody pointing out the mistakes I saw."

"Okay Jimmy, you've got a deal, here."

Jimmy then ran back into the copy room to scan her story and make the proposed corrections. Lois thought she would pass the time waiting on Jimmy by using Chloe's computer. The screen snapped out of its screen saver when Lois moved the mouse and prompted her for a password. Lois figured Chloe was using the same password for this computer that she used while writing for The Torch in high school. Careful to not misspell anything, Lois employed the _hunt and peck_ method of entering the password and carefully typed in 'Clark&Chloe2B' and pressed enter. The password window disappeared and Chloe's usual desktop came up on the screen with the Planet's logo.

However, before she could get started on anything, a new print out was placed in front of the computer screen. Lois looked up to see Jimmy standing there with a goofy grin on his face as he spoke.

"You're all set to go Lois and here's the copy of the story you brought in."

Lois was surprised, either she had lost track of time or Jimmy was really good. She took the original story from him and picking up the revision, she quickly compared the two. Although not quick enough as to pick out the major corrections Jimmy had put in place as far as grammar was concerned, she did spot where the errors in spelling he'd mentioned earlier had been corrected. Still, she did not want to let on how impressed she was by how quickly he'd made the changes.

"Not too shabby Jimmy, I mean I wouldn't suggest you give up your day job, but nice. Well, I'd best get out of here. I've got places to go, people to see, and less time to get everything done in."

With that Lois turned her attention back to Chloe's computer long enough to log off. "See you around Jimmy!" Then she departed the bullpen in search of a paper to publish her article, and Jimmy got back to work distributing the revised articles to their respective owners. Jimmy couldn't help from quietly laughing as he thought to himself; 'yup Lois is definitely Chloe's cousin!'


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Lana pressed the switch on the remote, returning the surveillance display to its hidden position, and the bookcase slid back into its usual place. She then placed the remote back into the storage bin on Lex's desk, making a mental note to talk to Lex about this when he was safely back home. Turning to leave she was stopped by Lucas.

"Where do you think you're going Lana?"

"I'm going to the warehouse at the intersection of 5th Avenue and Hayworth Street to try and find Lex."

"Lana, it's too dangerous, we have no idea what you'd be walking into if you go there. I'm as worried about Lex as you are. Why don't you sit down, calm down, and let me put a call into Metropolis police."

"No, Lucas no police, look Lex gave me the number of this private investigator in Metropolis. He told me to call if anything was to ever happen to him. Well guess what, I tried calling the number and did not get an answer."

"There's really no way I'm going to talk you out of this, is there?"

"No, I have had people I care about taken away from me all my life. I cannot sit and wait for other people to find Lex when I have information that could help save someone I care a great deal about."

"Okay Lana, you win no police, but there's no way I'm letting you go out there alone. I know I made unctuous remarks earlier about you while reviewing the security feed, but in all sincerity I know that Lex would go ballistic if anything were to happen to you. Look, it's a good ride from here to that part of Metropolis, why don't you have the attendants get your car from the parking area outside and I'll meet you out-front. I have a few calls to make before we go, I'll be there in a few minutes. Plus I'll need to grab something from my car on our way out, it won't take long."

Giving Lucas a small smile in return, she nodded and turned to go have them bring her car up front. Lucas knew all of the rooms in the mansion were being watched by surveillance cameras. So, to avoid having his call being recorded, he headed for the nearest lavatory as he new they were free of any kind of recording devices.

As an added measure of security, Lucas plugged in a scrambling device into his phone before making the call. After only a couple of rings, a familiar voice answered the phone.

"Lionel Luthor"

"Hello Dad, so nice of you to keep me in the loop on things!"

"Lucas, son, what are you talking about, what's going on?"

"Come on Dad, we both know exactly what I'm talking about! Only I had to find out from Lana when I stopped by the mansion! Did you even plan on telling me that Lex has gone missing?"

"I apologize for not calling you, son, but I have been doing everything I can to locate Lex."

"Save your public relations posturing for the media Dad!! Lex made it very clear to me a long time ago that you only view us as a social experiment! You made that clear when you loaned me what you'd given Lex as a vehicle to get him back into lockstep with your own agenda. Then you tried to set yourself up as Abraham, sacrificing a son. It was you – not Lex – that put the word out to Dirk to kill me."

"Lucas…."

"Save it Dad, I already told you that I knew he was on your payroll. After Lex told me about that, I did some checking of my own, and not only did I find that he was on your payroll, but I traced communications directly from you to Dirk!! If that wasn't bad enough you put on the guise of being blind to everyone – even your own flash and blood!!! I was forced to orchestrate that elaborate quasi-Cain and Able production years ago so he could learn the truth."

"Lucas, everything I've done has been….."

"Has been in your own interests Dad, don't try to purport it as anything else. Lex was the only one that stepped up after what happened. He may have his own idiosyncrasies but he always dealt me a fair hand, and treated me with respect. I think your only concern is having missed the opportunity on capitalizing on those abilities Lex displayed for your own gain. As for me, anyone – special abilities or no – that put themselves on the line, has earned my respect. I don't intend to betray such respect by remaining a passive observer. I'm just calling to let you know the experiment is over, we're not part of your game anymore. Lana and I are on our way out of here to go find Lex."

"Wait, Lucas, you know where he is? Son, you have to….."

Lucas ended the call without letting him finish his statement; he did not _have to_ do anything when it came to Lionel. Although it had lasted a little longer than he planned, Lucas was satisfied at the way the conversation had gone.

Glancing at his watch, Lucas figured the attendant should be bringing Lana's car back from the parking area by now, just enough time left to make his other call. Flipping his phone back open, he dialed the secured line and after one ring the line was answered.

"Yes sir."

"Block, never mind the formalities, I need a status report."

"Lex told us of a serum being kept in a vault on the 33rd floor of LuthorCorp. I dispatched Wagner to retrieve the serum; he should be back before too long."

"Excellent, listen, there's been a development here and we are going to have to adjust our plans. Lana Lang discovered a security recording of a conversation between Pontius and Lex. Fortunately, I happened in on Lana when she found the recording, and in it Pontius told Lex he'd tracked the SUV following him back to Metropolis. I could not dissuade Lana from checking out the location, but I did convince her to let me accompany her."

"Okay, what do you want us to do?"

"Have Wagner keep an eye on Lex once he returns, and when you see us arrive on the security feed, head out to intercept us. Make sure to approach the car from the driver's blind side, have your sidearm drawn but do not fire your weapon. You will then escort us both inside the warehouse. Now this is where things will get tricky, so pay attention…."

Lionel just sat there in his office, staring at the phone in disbelief, and finally returned the handset to its cradle. He knew Lucas had to navigate waters that most people never thought of while growing up.

Still, he thought that those experiences would force him to become his own person, and find his own way in life. Besides, it wasn't like he had abandoned Lucas entirely during his formative years. As he explained to Martha, he did the best he knew how, keeping Lucas out of incarceration via a checkbook and an army's worth of lawyers.

Yet it wasn't like he had not put Lex through a myriad of trials though his life. In Lionel's opinion, a person can only grow in their pursuits by being pushed past their comfort zones.

Lionel had learned this lesson from is own experiences growing up, and the actions he'd had to take to make a name for himself working with Morgan Edge. Evidently Lucas not only suffered from psychopathy, but apparently he also harbors an obsession with the idea that he'd somehow short-changed him as a son.

Lionel sighed and with his elbows on his desk, rested his face in his hands. The immortal words from the great General Sun Tzu sprang to his mind, _Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys_. _Look on them as your own beloved sons and they will stand by you even unto death_.

Lionel now wondered if he had failed to adequately apply these teachings as a father, or if such teachings were not the best guide for parenting. Composing himself, Lionel turned and placed a call to Martha, and while waiting for her to answer thought, _'If only someone like Martha had been there after Lillian passed, maybe I could have had sons like Clark.'_

"Hello."

"Martha, its Lionel, I just received a call from Lucas. Apparently Lana has somehow discovered a lead as to where Lex is being held captive."

"Lionel, that's great news, did he mention where?"

"No, I'm afraid our conversation did not allow for specifics to be given, but he did say they were just on their way out from the mansion. Also, I have received the latest checks back on Lucas' activities since he was last in Smallville, and it looks like he's been the silent manager of sorts for a number of LuthorCorp research projects. There are a myriad of other projects listed here, the bulk of them I recognize as being run through front companies for speculative ventures that Lex doesn't want traced directly back to LuthorCorp."

"Did Lucas mention running into Clark while at the mansion?"

"No, so I can only presume that Clark had already left the mansion before he met up with Lana."

"Was there anything else?"

"Yes Martha, while on the phone, Lucas made reference to individuals who'd put themselves on the line on his behalf, saying they'd earned his respect."

"Do you think he was talking about Clark?"

"It's possible Martha, though he kept making references to Lex throughout the discussion, so I cannot know for certain. However, if we were to make that presumption, then the logical conclusion would be that he's not seen as a target. Speaking of which, have you heard from Clark?"

"No, not yet, but that's not usual. He and Chloe have a tendency to get wrapped up in what they're working on, and sometimes lose track of time. I'll try calling him to see what they've come up with. I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I find out anything."

"Thank you Martha, goodbye."

"Goodbye."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Chloe and Clark arrived at 515 Grant Street and made their way up to Pontius' office. The closest parking garage to the building had been a good distance away, and despite his best efforts to rest on the way over there, Clark still found himself fatigued as they entered the office. Everyone had left the office for the day, so Chloe used a credit card to bypass the locks on the door. Noticing that Clark sounded a little winded, Chloe turned to him with a look of concern on her face.

"Hey, how are you holding up?"

Clark managed a small smile, took a deep breath, and replied "Never better."

Far from your stereotypical gumshoe offices depicted in old movies, Clark and Chloe found Pontius' office akin to a modern day corporate front office environment. A view of the city, leather waiting couches, flowering office plants that permeated the office with a pleasant aroma, and ornate office lamps with mahogany tables filled the space. A little taken aback by the sight before them, a flash of surprise washed over Chloe's face.

"Wow, and here I was thinking we'd find broken ceiling fans and ashtrays with stale cigarette butts in a private investigator's office."

Taking in the surroundings for himself, Clark shook his head and said, "I think this guy's a little more up to date than your run of the mill Jim Rockford."

Chloe went over to a laptop, still open, sitting on a receptionist's desk and immediately got to work. After her initial attempts of hunting around the database set up, Chloe was less than enthused by her findings.

"Terrific! Clark, I am pretty good getting around corporate firewalls, but I'm not a wizard when it comes to hacking into proprietary software databases. You don't realize how difficult all this stuff is, a little 'good work Chloe' every now and then would be much appreciated."

Normally Clark would be paying more attention to what Chloe was saying, but given his current situation he was concentrating all his energies on getting his x-ray vision to work. At first everything looked normal, but he continued working his eye muscles until finally everything took on the usual translucent appearance. Clark then scanned around the walls of the office not seeing anything of note at first. All the while Chloe was continuing her exposition of the situation with the computer.

"Great, they've got 256-bit encryption algorithms running on this system. Clark, it may take me hours to hack into the files pertaining to Lex."

It was then that Clark spotted a hidden office, sealed with a reinforced steel door with multiple locking mechanisms behind the fascia of the far wall. Switching his vision back to normal, Clark quickly turned to Chloe, and pulling her from the laptop made her aware of his discovery. Thankful for the possibility that she may be spared hours of hacking, Chloe remarked, "Head cold or no, you're still a regular blood hound."

Clark then walked over to the far wall and taking a deep breath to gather his strength, tried his best to remove the steel door from behind the wall fascia. However, his efforts came up short as all he was able to do was crumple up the outer wall fascia, looking much like a badly folded lot of construction paper.

He pauses a moment, takes another deep breath, and gives it another go only this time nothing happens. Frustrated at his strength giving out on him, Clark backs away from the wall to stand beside Chloe. He then leans over to catch his breath as it feels like he had been trying to push a mountain instead of a door.

"What's up Clark, another power failure?"

"Yeah, I guess I am not running on all cylinders just yet."

"Maybe, then again, maybe not."

"Huh? What are you talking about Chloe?"

"Clark, even though your abilities may be on the fritz, your sneezes have been packing a major punch. I mean think about it, if a haphazard sneeze was enough to send your barn door almost ten miles across Smallville, I'd imagine that one would take out this door without trying."

With a little laughter cutting into his voice, Clark said, "Chloe, we're talking about a sneeze here, it's not something I can just make happen."

"Come on Clark, we both know you are capable of anything, why not something as simple as making yourself sneeze?"

"Chloe, I apologize for not giving you enough credit okay? And I think you give me too much credit, I may be able to do a lot of things, but sneezing at will doesn't make the list. I mean sneezing is an impulse reaction, not a magic trick."

"Okay, then how about just blowing the thing off then?"

Looking at her with a less than amused expression on his face, Clark looked her straight in the eye and said, "Not funny Chloe!"

Unfettered by Clark's reaction, Chloe proceeds to make her case. "I'm not joking, with all the air you're moving with a sneeze, your lung capacity must be off the charts. Just take a few breaths to get your lungs moving, take as deep a breath as you can, and let'er go!"

"Chloe you can't be serious, I mean we're talking about a reinforced steel door, not candles on a cake."

"Clark, do you have a better idea?"

"No, not at this very minute, but…"

"Then quit your stalling, make like the big bad wolf, and blow the door down already."

Clark shakes his head, still not certain of this idea, but since he really didn't have a better idea he decides to give it a go. "Okay, but just in case you better stand behind me Chloe." Chloe then moves to stand to the right and just behind Clark as he begins inhaling as deeply as possible.

When he finally reaches the limit of what his lungs will hold, he pauses just a moment before forcing the air out in a concentrated blast. Impacting the far wall, the blast of air takes out not only the steel door, but a large chunk of the wall it was mounted in. Clark cannot help but stare in momentary shock at the result of his action.

Meanwhile Chloe is doing her best to fight back a laugh that's threatening to escape her lips. Satisfied that her next words won't be overtaken by laughter, Chloe snarks at Clark, "Thank goodness you remembered to floss, brush, and use mouth rinse after your last meal!"

Giving Chloe a quick grin, he puts his arm behind her back, and leads her into the now open security room. Chloe starts scanning through the first desk they come to, and Clark reaches up to steady a light fixture that's still swinging above them from the impact of the blast.

He then glances behind Chloe at a large calendar board only to find a myriad of shorthand notes with meeting times scribbled on it. Several of them mentioned 'Edge City address, SUV shadow, and Luthor follow-up'; Clark noticed the notation about 'follow-up' was scribbled on the date corresponding to the one prior to Lex's disappearance.

"Well, from what I've found here Clark, it looks like Pontius has been running a lot of background checks on a black SUV he's noted as having been following Lex for a while now. His notes don't include the owners of the SUV but it looks like it was registered to an address in Edge City. Pontius also notes tailing the SUV to the warehouse district in Metropolis."

"Then that helps explain the notes he has on that calendar." Clark said nodding to the calendar behind Chloe. "I guess it would be safe to say that 'Luthor follow-up' means he told Lex about this."

"Seeing as how he was on Lex's payroll, I'd go along with that Clark. It also looks like Pontius was doing some serious digging into an old furniture warehouse, so he's either looking to relocate or…."

Clark turns around and moves to sit at a second desk with a computer and printer on it. He takes the last page left on the printer to look at with Chloe. As he does this, he finishes Chloe's sentence for her, "this warehouse lot, the sign in the foreground says 1024 Hayworth Street; its got to be where he figures Lex is being held."

Looking from the photo to Clark, Chloe says, "That's good enough for me, let's check it out."

"Whoa, hold up Chloe, the shape I'm in right now – I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to protect you."

"Clark, guarantees are sold with washing machines. Besides, I'm not a little girl anymore; we can look out for each other, deal?"

Clark couldn't help looking over Chloe at her comment about 'not being a little girl anymore'. Chloe was indeed a very beautiful young woman and seemed to amaze him on a daily basis – yet she kept calling him a hero.

As far as he was concerned, if anyone around here was a hero, it was Chloe. A playful slap to the back of his head brought Clark out of his retrospect, Chloe spoke again, "Earth to Clark, I know you're ears are a little stopped up from the head cold, but surely you can hear me, I'm standing right beside you."

"Huh? Yeah, sorry Chloe, I was just a little preoccupied there for a second. You've got a deal."

Chloe grinned in reply and as they turned to go, Clark's phone started ringing. Glancing at the caller ID he saw it was his mom and answered it.

"Hey Mom, what's up?"

"Clark, it's getting late, I was calling to check on how you two were doing?"

"We're leaving a private investigator's office now that we found out worked for Lex. It looks like the last thing he was looking into was a warehouse here in Metropolis. Chloe and I are on our way over there now to see what we can find."

"Clark, I got a phone call from Lionel earlier, he had spoken with Lucas. Evidently Lana thinks she knows where Lex is being held, and she and Lucas were leaving to try and rescue him."

"Did Lionel find out where they were headed?"

"No, from what Lionel said, Lucas did not go into much detail only that they were leaving when he called. From what I got from their conversation, I don't think they spoke for very long."

"Thanks for letting us know Mom; we'll keep an eye out for them."

"You two be careful Clark."

"We will Mom, I promise."

Hanging up his phone, they got into Chloe's car and started out towards the warehouse. Chloe looked at Clark and asked what his mom had called about; being that she only heard one side of the conversation.

"She saw how late it was getting and wanted to see how things were going. She also said that Lionel had called her."

"Oh, has Lionel found anything more out about Lucas?"

"Yeah, Lucas called him earlier today. He said that Lana had somehow run across information that told her where Lex was being held. Now, Lucas did not tell him where, but he said they were leaving the mansion to try to get Lex back."

"Did you see Lucas when you were at the mansion?"

"No, but I imagine he got there shortly after I left. I know Lana was really upset to have found out Lex was missing the way she did. Maybe she had access to Lex's personal files that Lionel doesn't, I get the feeling Lex trusts her a lot more than Lionel."

"So what are you thinking Clark, she and Lucas ran across the same information locked somewhere in Lex's study that we found in Pontius' security room?"

"Well, you know how Lex has to have back-ups of everything, so I'd say that's a reasonable assumption. Plus it helps explain all the extra security I saw in the mansion when I went to see Lana."

Remembering she had left her cell phone in the glove compartment, she asked Clark to get it and see if she'd gotten any messages while they were inside. Pressing the voicemail key, Clark then switched it to speakerphone so they could both listen. The automated menu informed them that there was one unheard message, a moment later Lana's recorded voice came over the speaker.

"_Hey Chloe, it's Lana, sorry I missed you. I'm calling to see if you could check an address for me, 1024 Hayworth Street in Metropolis. Talk to you later."_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

After concluding the call to Chloe's voicemail, Lana returned her cell phone to her purse, looks at Lucas, and starts to say something when an unknown voice stops her.

"Evening you two, don't suppose you're out looking for Lex?" Block said and then pointed a gun at Lana. "Okay folks, out of the car, nice and easy."

Lana and Lucas got out of the car, slowly, and kept their hands raised so as to not provoke their unexpected welcome. Block quickly patted both of them down for weapons and finding none motioned towards the warehouse with the gun. "Put your hands down and get moving, don't try anything cute."

After getting inside the warehouse Lucas rushed Block, pinned him with Block's back against the wall to their surveillance room, and made a grab for the gun. Lana stood in stunned disbelief and could do nothing but watch. Block had kept his guard up for any tricks Lucas or Lana might try; Lucas was unable to get the gun away from him in the struggle.

Despite Lucas' best efforts, Block overpowered him and managed to free his hand with the gun, and before Lucas could throw a punch, Block shot him. Lucas stumbled back away from Block and fell down just across the threshold to the surveillance room.

Lana finally found her voice and screamed, "Oh my God, you killed him!"

Block laughed at the shaking brunette and kept the gun on her. Block stepped around Lucas' body and leaned down, still with the gun trained on Lana, and checked for a pulse.

"Lady, you've watched too many movies, he's just out cold. The gunshot shot won't kill him but it ensures he stays put until we wrap up our business here."

He then stood up, grabbed Lana by the arm with his free hand, and with the gun pointed at her head forced her over and inside the caged area where Lex was being kept. Wagner had already returned and was over at a worktable, just past the gurney Lex was strapped to.

On the worktable is a storage container marked with a LuthorCorp logo, and inside are three vials of the serum Lex had finally broken down and told them about. Wagner filled a syringe with the contents of one of the vials.

As they entered the caged off area, Lana saw the poor state Lex was in and screamed out.

"Lex, Lex, you're bleeding!!! Lex, what in the world is going on here?!"

Not expecting to see his girlfriend here, let alone with a gun pointed at her head, Lex said. "Put the gun away, Lana's not part of this. Get her out of here!"

Pleased with how upset Lex was at the sight of this girl in danger, Block was only sorry that they had not grabbed her sooner. "Sorry Lex, she is very much part of this. You see, now that Wagner has secured your serum, we need someone to try it on."

Taking that as his cue, Wagner walks over and Block takes the syringe from him and gives Wagner the gun. Block looks around in a mocking manner before looking back at Lex. Motioning to Lana with the syringe Block yells out sarcastically, "Tada!! Looks like we've got our very own lab rat!"

Block then turns his attention to Lana and says, "Let's get serious here, if this ginned-up brew really does give you super-human abilities, keep in mind we have a gun trained on your boyfriend's head."

To test the syringe, and to add more stress to the situation, Block presses the plunger and the clear fluid slowly begins flowing out of the end of the needle. Lana struggles to no avail as he brings the syringe up to her arm and just as the needle is about to pierce the skin, Lex quickly interjects.

"STOP!!!! Just stop okay…."

Smiling at the fear and panic in Lex's voice, Block moves the syringe from Lana's arm turns to look at Lex.

"Look, the serum will not have any affect on her. As an added security measure, I had the scientists synthesize the serum so that it only reacts with my DNA."

Fearful of what the serum may do to him, Lana screams out "Lex, don't do it!"

Block takes a moment to weigh his options and then pushes Lana to Wagner, who quickly takes hold of her with his free hand. "Okay Lex, we'll play it your way, just remember the same warning I gave Lana applies to you. If you try anything funny, she gets a bullet to the head. Now, let's see if this stuff works as advertised."

Just as Block leans in to inject him with the serum, Lex takes the opportunity to head-but Block causing him to cry out. "Unh!"

Block stumbles back, drops the syringe to the floor causing it to break, and covers his face with both hands. Lana sees an opportunity and kicks the gun out of Wagner's hand, she then turns and lands a left cross to his chin, and that sends him to the ground out cold.

She then quickly grabs the gun Wagner dropped with her right hand and backs-up towards Lex, keeping the gun trained on Block. After bumping into the gurney, Lana reaches back with her left hand and tries to release the restraint holding Lex's right arm down, she manages to loosen one side.

Taking his hands away from his face, Block looks down to find them covered with blood that is draining from his nose. Block looks up at Lana with rage quickly replacing the look of pain on his face. Lana quickly locks the hammer back on the gun and keeping it trained on Block tells him to keep his distance.

Unable to find and release the other latch on the restraint holding Lex's right hand down, Lana makes the mistake of turning her attention away from Block. Just as she finds it and gets the other side of the restraint unlatched Block seizes his opportunity. He rushes at Lana, grabs her right hand holding the gun, and uses his left hand to heft her up by the back of her collar.

Lex reaches over and works to free himself from the remaining shackles holding him to the gurney. Block then slams Lana into the wire fence behind the gurney Lex is strapped to. He then takes the gun away from her and puts it to her neck.

Lex grabs an empty syringe from a worktable and stabs him in his right shoulder with it before he can shoot Lana. This causes Block to lurch back, yelling in pain, and aimlessly fires off several rounds before falling down.

Some of the stray bullets hit Wagner, killing him instantly, and others hit electrical equipment causing it to spark wildly out of control. Still other stray bullets hit the myriad of chemicals around the interrogation area, causing them to spill all over the place.

The sparks from the equipment reach the spilt chemicals setting them ablaze. Lex then yanks the gun from Block's hand and lands a left cross which knocks him out cold. By now the fire is spreading quickly throughout the caged off area and threatening the rest of the warehouse.

Lex and Lana make their way around the gurney he was tied towards the entrance gate. Just then the fire reaches more of chemicals and causes them to explode. The explosion knocks them off their feet and back into the gurney.

The fire continues its way through the warehouse and just as Lex and Lana get back on their feet, a support beam crashes down and blocks their way out. The timbers supporting the warehouse, which are old and their make-up now akin to kinlin' wood, only serves to help feed the fire.

Quickly taking stock of the situation, Lex turns to Lana and tells her to look for anything they can use to cut the fence with. Lana begins scavenging through a nearby storage bin, finding nothing but an array of beakers, test tubes, and safety bandages. Lex grabs a nearby storage tank and begins smashing at the wire fence with it. However, with his right arm still injured from the gunshot he sustained earlier, he is unable to do any good.

As Chloe and Clark drove up to the warehouse, they could see smoke leaking out of it. They quickly spotted Lana's car and pulled to a stop next to it, only to find it already vacant.

"Looks like they beat us to the bunch Clark, I don't like the look of all that smoke."

"Which is exactly why I wanted you stay behind Chloe, I don't know how my abilities are going to hold up right now and…."

"Save it Clark, we already talked about this, and you're wasting energy in going over it again. Now let's go."

Knowing when and when not to push a discussion with Chloe, Clark let the subject drop and they carefully made their way inside the warehouse. Clark made sure to keep Chloe near him in case something happened and they needed to get out of there quickly.

Keeping low to do their best to avoid the smoke, they first come across the make shift surveillance room. They begin to go on past it when they hear a muffled moan coming from the room. Turning back they go in to find Lucas sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the tables, and clutching his abdomen in pain. Clark reached him first and asked.

"Lucas, what happened, where's Lana?"

"Ugh, not sure, I tried to take out the gunman that found us when we arrived…..my attempt was unsuccessful. I passed out after hitting the ground." Coughing a little and grimacing from the pain he continued, "I only regained consciousness a few moments ago; I managed to get myself into what appears to be some kind of communications or surveillance room. I tried to use the phone but everything in here looks like it had some kind of overload."

While Lucas was speaking, Clark tried his x-ray vision and it responded like it was supposed to. He saw that the bullet has passed cleanly through Lucas, and while he was bleeding, there had been no serious damage to any of his organs. Then as Lucas finished his findings, Clark snapped out of his x-ray vision.

"Lucas, we've gotta get you out of here, do you think you can stand?"

"Yeah, I think so." Lucas held onto the table for support and Clark steadied him as he slowly got up. After a moment to get his balance, he tried taking a step but then felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He quickly grabbed on to the tabletop to steady himself and looked to Clark and Chloe.

"No good, I can stand okay, but I'll need some help to get out of here."

Chloe spoke up first, "I'll help him out of here Clark, go find Lana, and no arguments okay? Just go!"

Chloe then moved so Lucas could put his left arm around her, and she used both hands to steady him. Clark started to protest saying that he should help Lucas out to the car, and then they could come back to look for Lana.

Chloe saw that Clark was about to speak and cut him off, "Just go Clark, I'll get Lucas to my car and take him to Metropolis General." Clark just nodded in response, but waited until he saw both of them make it out of the warehouse to look for Lana.

The fire continues consuming the wooden crates throughout the warehouse, and the smoke filling the warehouse makes it difficult to see. Another support beam from the roof crashes down, breaking in two as it falls, and nearly pinning Lana as it does. Instead the burning spikes of timber impale and kill Block, who was still unconscious on the floor.

The sight of this causes her to scream out, and quickly moves away from the sight towards Lex. Looking up for any more burning timbers, Lana is stopped in her tracks. Looking through the passing smoke, she is barely able to make out a hatch to the warehouse's ventilation shaft.

Lana shouts at Lex to get his attention, then motioning upwards cries out, "Lex, there's a ventilation hatch we can use, hurry!"

Lana quickly begins to clear the chemicals and tools off of a nearby worktable, and calls Lex over. "Here, help me with this."

They quickly move the heavier testing equipment off of the able and then begin trying to move the table over to be able to reach the access hatch. The table is heavier than it looks and they both turn around and try using their backs to get the table to slide across the floor. Turning to Lana, Lex tells her, "On the count of three, we'll push together, 1…2…3…PUSH!!"

They finally get the table moving and continue pushing, Lana glancing back to see when it is beneath the hatch. When the table reaches the intended spot, Lana calls out "Okay that's it, stop there."

Then as they go to get on the table, another of the warehouse support timbers collapses from the fire, and crashing onto the table. With their last escape route cut off, Lex huddles Lana over to him in a corner. "Lana, you never should have been involved in any of this, I am so sorry."

They close their eyes and turn their heads away as the out of control blaze approaches them to take their lives. Suddenly a loud blast of wind howls through the warehouse, creating a temporary vacuum, which put out all of the fires and carried the smoke out of the building. Feeling the heat dissipate quickly, Lex and Lana slowly open their eyes and look around, seeing no sign of any flames, and no explanation for the gust of wind they both felt and heard move through.

Clark sat back on the floor, out of sight from the caged area, behind several rows of barrels to catch his breath. He'd gotten around to the caged area Lex and Lana were in just as the support beam crashed to the table they were pushing. Clark was thankful Chloe had helped him figure out this new ability, and that it had worked to put out the fire.

He got up quietly and made his way back to the warehouse entrance, making sure that neither Lana nor Lex could see him as he did. Once he made it to the warehouse entrance, he started jogging back towards the caged area, calling out for Lana as he did.

Lex and Lana stood up, still in shock of the miracle that just occurred. Miracles were becoming common place for the two of them, but neither said anything to that affect. Then hearing Clark calling out, Lana answered him. "Over here Clark, we're over here!"

As the timber that was impeding its use was no longer a blaze, Clark helped Lex over it, followed by Lana, and they made their way out of the warehouse. The wind was howling quite fiercely outside, and rumbles of thunder warned of an approaching storm. Once outside, Lex and Lana turned to Clark, and Lana was the first to speak. "Clark, how did you find us, where's Lucas?"

"Chloe. She got the message you left on her voicemail as we were on are way out from the Planet. We headed over here and found Lucas just after getting inside the building. He had just regained consciousness when we found him. Lucas was able to stand okay but Chloe went ahead and helped him to her car, she took him to Metropolis General."

"I watched to make sure they made it to the car okay, and then just as I turned to run back in, a huge gust of wind took me off my feet. I guess all the wind is from the storm that's moving its way through."

"Anyhow, after I got back up, the fires were out and most of the smoke had cleared. Speaking of hospitals, Lex, we'd better get you to Metropolis General to get that arm looked at."

Lana handed Clark her keys and said, "Clark would you mind driving us there? I'm going to ride in the back with Lex."

"Sure, no problem."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Clark dropped Lex and Lana off at the emergency room entrance to Metropolis General. He parked Lana's car and went to the sign-in station to leave her keys with the admin clerk. Clark then turned and went through a set of double sliding glass doors to the emergency room's waiting area. The large expanse appeared to be filled to capacity and as he looked for Chloe he heard her call out to him.

"Over here Clark!"

Clark immediately saw her waving at him by the waiting room's coffee station. He waved back to her and as he made his way over there. He thought to himself, '_should have known, where there's coffee, there's Chloe_.'

Clark lowered his voice so only Chloe could hear him. "Hey, so what's the word on Lucas? I x-rayed him at the warehouse and I couldn't see where the gunshot had done any serious damage."

Chloe replied in kind, keeping her voice low. "Well, they took him straight up to surgery as soon as we got here. A nurse just left and what she told me confirms what you saw at the warehouse."

"Lucas has some minor blood loss and is suffering from shock, but he should be fine. She said they'll admit him after the surgery is finished for observation, but she figured that he'd only be kept here 24 hours at most."

"Lex had a gun shot wound to his right arm, but other than that he appeared to be okay. The fire had them pinned down in a caged off area, it's a good thing we got there when we did. Thanks to your tutorial earlier on lung capacity, I was able to put the fire out without them seeing."

"That's great Clark; but how did you explain the fire suddenly going out?"

"Blamed it on the weather, the wind was really wiping when we got out of the warehouse. I told them there was a huge gust of wind that knocked me off my feet when I made my way in to find them. I also explained to them that we got the message Lana left on your voicemail, and that was how we were able to find them."

"Nice going Clark, I'm proud of you." She then pulled him into a hug, which he gratefully accepted, and rested his head on her right shoulder.

"Thank you Chloe, I never could have done this without your help."

Chloe smiled and rubbed his back, content to be held by him again, and Clark returned the favor by doing the same. After a moment, Clark reluctantly broke their hug and continued, "I left Lana's car keys with the clerk at the sign-in station, so we can go anytime you're ready."

"Let's make a quick stop at the sign-in station on the way out. I'll let them know that Lex is Lucas' brother, though they probably know that by now, and they can pass along status updates on his condition to Lana."

After a brief stop at the sign-in station, they left Metropolis General for Smallville. Both were exhausted from the day's events and looked forward to a restful night's sleep. Since Chloe offered to drive, Clark leaned back in the passenger seat and it wasn't long before he fell asleep.

The commute that normally takes about three hours by car seemed to take just moments for Clark as could have sworn he had just gotten to sleep when he heard Chloe telling him to wake-up. Opening the passenger door, he found Shelby right there at the car, waiting for attention.

Clark gave the dog a quick pat on the head and told him to go on so he could get out of the car. After getting out of the car, he shut the door, and looked back through the open window to ask a question.

"You feel like coming in for a cup of coffee or something?"

"Thanks Clark, but I'm ready for some shut-eye. I'm going to head back to the apartment for at least forty winks; I'll catch up with you later."

"I hear you, thanks for driving us back, night Chloe."

Clark stood and watched Chloe circle around before heading up the driveway to the main road. He then turned and headed inside the house, Shelby followed right behind him. The lights were still on and he found his Mom up with an adding machine, going over bills and invoices related to the farm.

"Clark, there you are, did you sleep okay coming back?"

"How did you know I had been sleeping?"

"Chloe called while y'all were on the road. She filled me in on everything that happened and told me you were sawing logs when I asked to speak to you."

"Oh, sorry I wasn't awake to speak to you, it's been a long day."

"Don't worry about it; I was glad to hear you were resting. Would you like me to reheat some leftover chicken from dinner?"

"I'll get it Mom; it looks like you're involved in a big project of your own. So, how are we fairing this year?" Clark then retrieved the chicken soup from the refrigerator and carefully warmed it with his heat vision.

"Believe it or not; we're doing pretty well. The crops sold extremely well, dairy prices were at a premium, and overhead costs aren't as high since the Hubbards paid us generously for boarding some of their horses this year. Although I am worried about our corn production. Eco-lobbyists are obsessed with pushing corn-based ethanol, which has already been proven by a number of respected individuals in the scientific community to be fiscally unsound, and its another unnecessary burned on the tax payers."

"The pastries and pies continue to sell very well over at the Talon. I wish I could tell you that what I get as a senator is helping, but the truth is it's not much. Especially since Kansas state senators don't collect a salary, but are paid based on their time of service, which is why I was hesitant to take your father's seat. When you do the math, I'd be contributing more money-wise if I took a part-time job as a paralegal in town, than in working as a state senator."

"Mom, we've been over that, remember? I know if Dad were here, he'd tell you the same thing, you do a lot of good representing the people of Kansas. Besides, y'all taught me everything there is to know about farming. So, that coupled with my abilities to keep up with the acreage we have to operate, I'd say we're in good shape." Clark gave her a big grin, finished up the soup, and put the dish into the dishwasher.

"Well, I'm beat, the nap in the car was great but I think I'll turn in. Goodnight Mom."

"Good night Clark, sleep well."

After Clark had gone upstairs, Martha got the kitchen phone and dialed Lionel's number, knowing he'd still be awake. She would have called him earlier but wanted to wait until Clark was safely home first. Lionel answered on the second ring.

"Lionel, its Martha, I apologize for calling at such a late hour."

"There's no need to apologize Martha, remember I told you to call me anytime, day or night."

"I wanted to let you know Clark just returned home. Lex and Lucas sustained gun shot wounds when he and Chloe found them, so they are at Metropolis General. Lucas was injured when he confronted a gunman that met him and Lana upon arriving at the warehouse. Chloe said when they left a nurse informed her Lucas was in good shape and would be kept 24 hours for observation."

"I actually just finished speaking with the chief of emergency surgery; he called me as soon as Lex was out of surgery. The surgeon said that the damage sustained from the gunshot to his right arm was minimal, and that Lex should be released from the hospital tomorrow morning. Hospitals are required to a file police report when a patient arrives with a gunshot wound, but I explained the extenuating factors and he agreed to withhold filing the report. I'll give the doctor a call back and explain the situation with Lucas, I'm sure he'll agree to abstain from filing a report in case as well."

"Are you going over to see them?"

"No, I'm sure I'm the last person either wants to see right now. Besides, the hospital staff informed me that Miss Lang is there keeping a watchful eye on Lex."

"Lionel, don't you think you should at least consider going to see Lucas? From what I gathered after our last conversation, it sounds like you two need to talk."

"Martha, I do so admire your eternal optimism. However, I'm afraid that all I seem to accomplish by talking to Lucas is to agitate him. No, I think it's best that I give Lucas some space for the time being. Don't worry; even though I believe he poses no threat to Clark after going back through all of the research I've collected, I'll still keep a watchful eye on him."

"Thank you Lionel, I know I've told you this before, but I appreciate all of your help. You're a good friend."

"It's no trouble at all Martha, have a pleasant evening."

"You too, and Lionel…."

"Yes Martha, was there something else?"

"It's nothing…good night Lionel."

"Martha, please, if there's something bothering you tell me. I'd like to help if I can."

"It's nothing Lionel. I've just been going through a lot of paperwork while waiting for Clark to return, I'm just tired."

"Well get some sleep Martha, paperwork will always be there in the morning."

"You're right Lionel, good night."

"Good night."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

It has been long said that _rest is the best medicine_ and Clark Kent was about to find out that held true for him as well. Not only had he gone right to sleep when his head hit the pillow after saying good night to his mom, but without realizing it, he slept all night and straight through the majority of the next day.

Clark woke-up, laying on his right side, to see the familiar digits of his alarm clock looking back at him on his nightstand, 6:15. He turned to lie on his back and stretched leisurely, he felt better than he had in several days. Although Clark was used to waking around, or just after sunrise, he figured that sleeping in a little was okay after everything that had happened.

He looked out the window and saw that by the way daylight was waning; it looked much too late to be 6:15 A.M. That's when his head snapped around to look at the clock, and as he looked at it more closely he saw that it read 6:16 P.M.

"Oh no!"

Clark shot out of bed and instinctively shot into high gear. In a matter of moments he proceeded to make his bed, take a shower, get dressed, and headed out to the barn to get to work. He would worry about apologizing to his mom and Chloe later; right now he needed to play catch up.

It was necessary to drop back into normal speed while moving the animals out of the stalls in the barn and to the south-west pasture beside the driveway. After that however, Clark jumped back into high speed and went about cleaning out all the stables, putting in fresh hay, and building a new front door for the barn. The driver and passenger side seals for the front wheels on the tractor had worn out, and as a result power steering hydraulic fluid leaked whenever you went to steer the machine.

His mom and Chloe picked up the new seals on their last trip to town, so again Clark dropped back into normal speed so as to be more careful with them. Using a jack he raised the front end up just enough to remove the wheels.

Clark then removed the old seals, carefully installed the new seals, and refilled the power steering hydraulic fluid reservoir. Next he turned the steering wheel back and forth through its full range of motion several times, making sure that the new seals were seated properly.

Even with all his abilities, there were just some tasks that made more sense to use the tractor for (especially for times when he felt someone could be spying on him), and his mom still used it from time to time.

After he checked and was satisfied that there were no steering fluid leaks from the new seals, Clark lowered the tractor back down and stored the jack under the work bench. Finished with the tractor for the time being, he jumped back into high speed to finish the remainder of his work. It was approaching dusk outside and he did not worry about someone seeing him using his abilities this late in the day.

A myriad of colors spread across the sky as twilight set in across Smallville. Now finished with his "to-do list" for the time being, Clark sped back to the house to get cleaned up. He glimpsed Chloe's car parked out by their truck as he neared the house, causing a smile to form on his face.

The cold bug he'd been fighting for several days seemed to have run its course, and he now looked forward to spending some quality time with her. Still, first things first, he wanted to clean up before seeing Chloe and so, without pausing, Clark went straight upstairs to the bathroom.

It never ceased to amaze Clark how much better he felt after a shower, and with Lois out of the house a person could even get a shower now without all the hot water being used up. Clark laughed out loud, in spite of himself, it still amazed him that she and Chloe were cousins – he'd never seen two people so dissimilar that were related.

As he finished getting dressed, it occurred to Clark that whoever thought up the saying, 'it takes all kinds to make the world go round' must have known someone like Lois. Clark shook his head thinking to himself, 'poor guy, one Lois in this world is enough, and at least I have my abilities to help with tolerating her'.

Clark fastened the leather strap of his dad's watch around his left wrist as he walked through the family room towards the kitchen. Chloe's back was towards him, there was an array of vegetables on the counter beside her, and his mom was on the phone. A sly grin crept on Clark's face as he quietly strode into the kitchen, and up behind Chloe.

He waited until she put down the knife she was using to cut-up lettuce, and before she went to empty the contents from the cutting board into the salad bowl, he made his move. Clark leaned down and gently rested his chin on her right shoulder, while at the same time encircling both arms around her waist.

"Hey good lookin', whatcha got cookin'?"

Chloe jumped slightly at Clark's unannounced presence.

"Jeez Clark, you scared the daylights out of me! At least when you zip in from somewhere I get a little bit of a head's up from the air swirling around, though I'm still not used to that!"

In a mockingly-hurt tone, Clark replied. "Awwww…I'm sorry Chloe, I was trying to be quiet since mom's on the phone. Good news by the way, my cold's gone." Then he gave her his classic grin, the one she'd referred to earlier as part of his _Kent Charm_.

Chloe relaxed back against him, resting her hands on his arms, and turned her head to look at him. "Well after the snore-fest you've been on, your cold should be gone by now. I'm kidding Clark, I'm glad you're feeling better, but you're still not off the hook." Then with a sly grin on her face she continued, "This one's gonna cost you and we're talking more than that grin of yours."

A confused look replaced the grin that had been on Clark's face as he asked, "Okay…what exactly is this gonna cost me?"

Without a word Chloe reached back with her right hand and gently pulled Clark to her for a kiss. After a moment they separated and Clark said, "Mmm…now that's a payment I'll always be happy to make."

Chloe smiled at him and then as she returned her attention to her work said, "In that case I'll make it a point to collect more often."

Clark let go of Chloe and stepped over beside her to help with making up the salad. "It sounds like mom is really giving somebody a piece of her mind over there."

"Yeah, she's been on the phone for a while now. From what I've overheard, they're going back and forth over various bills before the senate. She just put a pot of water on the stove before you came in."

Both of them glanced over to see Martha still on the phone and adding several ears of corn to the pot of water. Before long the water came to a boil, and every so often she used a set of kitchen tongs to turn the ears of corn. All the while she continued to be deeply involved in her phone conversation.

"I understand senator but the last thing our constituents need is another tax hike. I understand the impetus for the emergency housing and energy bill after all the carnage from Dark Thursday, but I cannot endorse funding it by increasing taxes. Take a look at the e-mail I sent you a few minutes ago, it outlines several extraneous programs currently in place which could be cut to fund the emergency housing bill. Yes, I've already spoken to the senators that sponsored those programs. Yes, they've been sent the same information I just e-mailed you. I know, I know senator, both of the bills we've discussed this evening require the highest exigency."

"Senator, corn-based ethanol is neither cheap nor 'green'. I must tell you, this whole 'green' fanaticism is getting very tiresome. It requires almost as much energy, some studies say more energy, to produce as it releases when it is burned. And the subsidies on it cost taxpayers, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, somewhere along the lines of $5.5 billion and $7.3 billion per year. Besides that, Metropolis and other towns are facing deep deficits from the aftermath of Dark Thursday."

"Senator, the statistics you keep referring to are real people, not inventory to be shuffled around in storehouses. If we as elected representatives simply push legislation through without equanimity and reviewing everything in them, that is without considering the possible consequences; then we're doing a disservice to our constituents. As senators, we all took on the responsibility to uphold the ideals of truth, justice, and the American way. I will not, and nor will the other senators I've spoken to, assist in ramping through legislation that has not been critiqued; we both know such action is pernicious not helpful."

After a long pause she continued, "Yes, I understand you feel the need to point to tangible work that's been done once election season rolls around. However, if the work that's done is frivolous, then what have you accomplished? All you've accomplished is to usurp the basic tenants that our country was founded upon, that is irresponsible and completely unacceptable. Okay. I'll look forward to hearing back from you next week. Bye now."

Martha hung up the cordless handset and was glad to find it had not attached itself to her ear, she felt like she'd been on the phone all day. Sitting the handset aside on the counter, she reached over and turned the burner off at the stove.

Then she used the kitchen tongs to remove the ears of corn from the pot and set them on a plate sitting on the counter. As she turned to carry the plate of corn to the table she just now realized Clark had come in, and was helping Chloe finish up making a salad.

"Well look at you, you're looking a lot better now! How are you feeling Clark?"

"Much better, I had no idea that I would sleep so long. I was shocked to see what time it was when I woke up. It's okay though; I've been out and fixed the irrigation ditch, plowed the back 40, cleaned all the troughs, and replaced the barn door. I also got the tractor seals replaced before getting the alfalfa, sweet clover, and winter rye planted. I'd say, for me anyway, that puts me just about back to normal."

Nodding in understanding Martha said, "That's good to hear, then I won't mind asking you to set the table. Chloe's been on her feet for a while now helping get dinner ready while I've been on the phone." Clark nodded to his mom and walked over to the cabinet behind the table to get the placemats, silverware, and coasters out.

Chloe carried the now finished bowl of salad to the table and used the utensils to toss the contents a few more times. Walking back to the kitchen island counter Chloe said, "Speaking of which, you really told that senator what's what Mrs. Kent. I know Mr. Kent would be really proud of the way you're handling things. I really admire the passion you have for standing up for what you believe in, and the tenacity with which you back it all up with credible sources, facts, and figures. You know Mrs. Kent; you would've made one heck of a journalist."

Martha smiled warmly at Chloe and said, "Thank you Chloe, I appreciate that very much. Trying to fill Jonathan's shoes is a challenge; I just try to do what I think he would've done. I am still amazed at how often common sense seems to be discarded in this line of work, which along with facts to prove your point, certainly throws my colleagues for a loop fairly often." Laughingly lightly Martha continued, "I have to admit, you had me a little worried Clark. Of all the things your dad and I went though when you were growing up, having a sick child was never one of them."

"You know Mom; I've been thinking about Dad a lot lately. I remember that everytime I got a new ability I thought it was a curse, but he made me understand it was a blessing." Clark paused briefly to reflect on that. His mom looked at him, smiled, and nodded in understanding. "Just had to figure out a way to use it to my advantage" looking to Chloe he continued "and it's thanks to Chloe that I found that advantage."

In return, Chloe gave him a thoughtful grin, and blushed slightly in spite of herself. Martha walked over to him and softly patted his left arm, "I have no doubt that your dad is very proud of you right now." She then turned to look at Chloe and added "both of you."

A loud knock at the kitchen door broke them out of their thoughtful and tender moment. Martha answered the knock by calling out, "Come in." A now familiar figure entered the kitchen, Lionel Luthor, and looking at Clark says "Well, it looks like you've got the wind back in your sails young man."

Chloe finishes putting bread rolls in a basket and takes them over to the kitchen table, then stands beside Martha. Clark walks back over to the kitchen island "Well, I'm definitely on the upswing of things."

Lionel grins in return as he walks into the kitchen to stand at the end of the island. "I, um, I came by Clark, to thank you for saving my sons' lives."

"Thank Chloe, if it wasn't for her, I don't know if we would have gotten to them in time. She's the real hero here; Chloe saved Lucas' life by getting him to the hospital in time. And as for Lex, we didn't do all this for him; we did this because my own identity was in jeopardy."

"So I've heard" and turning to look at Chloe added "my thanks to you as well, Ms. Sullivan, for saving my son's lives."

"You're welcome Mr. Luthor, but like Clark said, it was all done in effort to protect his secret."

Lionel nodded, thought a moment and looked at Clark as he continued. "I realize that but…how does it go? The true measure of a man is not how he treats his friends but how he treats his enemies. I've accepted the fact that we may never know how much Lex really remembers about who you really are but I believe you would have saved him in spite of that. I believe you'll be there for him, always."

Clark tensed his jaw muscles briefly, and then replied "you don't know that."

Lionel shook his head slightly with a small grin at Clark's words. "No matter how much you try to deny it, that impulse is part of your nature. It's what makes you truly extraordinary." After a short pause Lionel looks over to Martha, "you did good, Martha Kent."

Martha smiles in return, and walking over to him says, "Lionel, we're about to sit down to dinner."

Lionel then looks around, feeling somewhat out of place. "Oh…my apologies…I'm afraid I don't pay close enough attention to the time…" As he turns to leave, Martha places her right hand on his right forearm to stop him.

"No, no, no. If you don't have any plans, would you like to join us?" Lionel then turns again to go, dropping his arm away from Martha's hand as he does so. "Thank you, but I don't want to intrude."

Clark and Chloe both notice that Martha seems somewhat disappointed by his reaction. They look at each other and Clark speaks up first, stopping Lionel in his tracks. "But you haven't had chicken pot pie until you've had my mom's secret recipe."

Chloe then walks up beside Clark, loops her right arm around his left, and chimes in. "Yeah, and nobody makes an apple cobbler that can compete with the one Mrs. Kent makes, it's an insult to pass that up." Martha smiles at the accolades the two have given her, and then looks to Lionel to await his reaction.

Lionel stands at the kitchen door taking in the scene before him; it's very much what one would expect to find written in a family friendly novel. He looks down for a moment and then looking back up he looks to Clark, then Chloe, and finally lets his eyes rest on Martha.

On each one of their faces, Lionel sees that they are genuine in their request for him to stay. It's not one of the many formal and insincere requests he's received in the past at the conclusion of various business dealings. In those situations, the invitation is always made so as to follow decorum; it's never made in expectation of a response in the affirmative. Much as Ebenezer Scrooge had his heart opened at the end of 'A Christmas Carol', Lionel's heart was moved by the invitation, a feeling that was still foreign to him.

A smile of appreciation spreads across Lionel's face as he says, "All right. I'll stay. How can one pass up an invitation like that?" Everyone smiles at his response, and he then removes his overcoat, puts it on the hanger by the door, and goes down the hall to wash up.

In the meantime, Clark went back to set a place for Lionel at the table, Martha took the remaining food dishes over, and Chloe fixed everyone glasses of ice tea. They all were looking forward to sitting down to a home-cooked family meal.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

After dinner, Chloe whispered to Clark that they should take Shelby out for a walk, leaving Martha and Lionel sitting at the dinner table; chatting idly over coffee. As they walked around in the warm night air Clark took Chloe's left hand with his right, entwining their fingers as he did so.

Shelby pranced just ahead of them, his nose held up in the air in the direction of the LuthorCorp helicopter that sat in the front pasture, the pilot fast asleep. The golden retriever appeared to be sated after a moment and then continued taking in all the scents around him.

"Not that I'm complaining, Chloe, but is there any special reason you decided we needed to take Shelby out for a walk? I mean, don't you think it was a little rude for us to leave the dinner table like that? After all, Shelby has been out all afternoon while I was working around the farm, and he is house broken you know."

Chloe laughed good naturedly at Clark's interrogative. He may have abilities that were literally out of this world, but some things still escaped even his vision.

"I thought it would be polite for us to give Lionel and your mom some time to themselves. Didn't you notice how your mom almost seemed to glow when Lionel agreed to stay for dinner? I get the feeling there's something going on between those two. I don't know that for sure, call it a reporter's intuition, but it was starting to feel crowded in there to me. So I figured we ought to give them some space."

Clark hung his head and sighed at Chloe's remarks. He was used to the fact that Lionel was a bigger part of their lives now. The man had done all he could to help his mom adjust to being a state senator, and it seemed that he was constantly at the farm.

Although his mom was very astute in her research as to what her colleagues' voting records and stances on issues were, Lionel helped a great deal by helping her with the other senators' extra circulars.

Clark would go to the house from working outside to get a drink, and find them going over an album's worth of data. He'd over hear them talking about how this senator loved polo, or how that senator's daughter was a gymnast with Olympic aspirations.

Clark did his best to not intrude on their meetings, but he remembered them looking a little too close. Closer then he was used to on occasion. So, after Lionel had left he asked his mom about their meeting, and all she said was that Lionel was giving her means by which to approach senators other than always talking shop.

He still had the uneasy feeling there was something more to it than that, but did not press her for answers. Finally he heard Chloe calling his name, snapping out of his thoughts, he turned to her questioningly.

"Clark, I'm not a mind reader here. You need to verbalize what your thinking…I talk and you listen, you talk and I listen…that's the way conversation works, remember?"

"Yeah, sorry about that Chloe, I'm still working on the whole 'zoning out in thought' thing. It's just, I don't know, I mean I want mom to be happy but…"

"But you don't know about her being happy with Lionel, right?"

"Pretty much, I mean, we both know the kind of person he is Chloe, and what he's capable of."

They walked over and leaned against the fence behind the barn, the utility lights shining out into the field enough for them to see the cows still lazily grazing. Noticing their presence, one of the younger calves loped over towards Clark, mooing at him in the process.

Clark leaned over the railing and patted the young cow. "Take it easy little guy, nothing to be afraid of. Okay, go on over and find your mom." The calf pricked its ears back and forth a few times before looking to Clark and Chloe, and then it made its way back over to the heard and started nursing from its mother.

Chloe chuckled to herself, "What do you know, Clark Kent, the cow whisperer. We ought to call the National Geographic Channel, look how well Cesar Millan has done with that dog whisperer gig."

"Yeah right, it'd never sell Chloe. I say we leave the television business to the professionals."

Both of them laughed at their respective silliness, though it seemed to pass quickly. Chloe observed Clark's face take on a serious demeanor again. She figured he'd returned to thinking about their earlier discussion regarding Lionel. Truthfully, she could understand Clark's apprehension about Lionel's growing friendship with his mom.

Chloe's track record with Lionel did not serve as a glowing endorsement for him to win the 'friend of the year' award. However, she had to admit that Lionel's recent actions had all been for Clark's benefit.

Still, she wondered how much of that had been caused by Jor-El using him as an oracle, and his being downloaded with all of that Kryptonian programming from the element that had constructed Clark's fortress.

Yet with everything that had happened over the past year, Chloe did not want Clark worrying about this, after all Mrs. Kent was nobody's fool, and could definitely take care of herself.

"Look Clark, I'm not saying Lionel's a prince by any stretch of the imagination. However, if there's one thing I've learned from you, it's that you have to give someone the benefit of the doubt."

"I don't know if that's a lesson you should take from me Chloe, I tried giving Lex the benefit of the doubt several times, and look what's happened."

"I know Clark but like you've also said, Lex isn't his father. Besides, unless you're being rude an eavesdropping in on their conversation, we don't know that there's anything going on between them besides a good friendship."

They turned to look towards the farm house, both wondering what was being said. However, the one of the two that could listen in to hear what was being said, and see through the walls to find out what was going on would not.

Clark very much wanted to know but remembered asking his mom once, not long after learning to control his x-ray vision, what she would do if she could see anything and her reply was that she'd learn to close her eyes. Her response had stuck with him ever since and that was what kept him from checking in on them.

Inside the farm house, the meeting between the billionaire businessman and the state senator continued, though it had little to do with either's profession.

"Martha that was the finest meal I've ever had the privilege to partake of. Even the highest acclaimed dishes at Le Cirque pale in comparison to your cooking. Truly, you are a woman of many talents."

"Thank you Lionel, I'm grateful you were able to stay for dinner. It was nice to hear the kitchen filled with laughter and light discussion again, especially after all that's happened."

"I whole-heartedly agree the levity this evening was a welcomed change of pace. I sometimes forget what it's like to enjoy the company of others, especially when one is accustomed to always having to read them to discern what underlying angles they're attempting to run by you."

"Then you should strive to get away from the office more often. Having a passion for what you do certainly makes work more enjoyable, but a person cannot let it consume them. I know I tried burying myself in work, keeping busy with as many projects as I could, to adjust to the pain of Jonathan's absence. While that helped to a certain degree, what's really helped me through the process of adjustment has been all the support of those around me."

Martha reached over and put her hand over Lionel's, giving it a gentle squeeze of appreciation. Lionel reached over with his other hand and lightly patted hers, looking at her with a kind smile on his face as he did so. She returned his smile before moving her hand back to take a sip of coffee.

"Indeed, for all my wealth, I think you are the richest person in the world, Martha Kent, because you have a son and friends that love you unconditionally. Wealth may afford a person many things, but I quickly learned after Lillian passed, that it cannot buy comfort to fill the void left by the loss of a loved one. Time does heal all wounds but I'd have traded all my wealth to have had people like you and your family around me then. I know it would have helped ease the pain sooner, and undoubtedly would have made me a better man today."

"It's all right Lionel, remember what I told you? None of us, not even someone like Clark, can change the events of the past, all we can do is do our best to learn from it and keep moving forward."

"You're right Martha, and I'm grateful that you've allowed me to be there for you to help in moving forward. And speaking of Clark, he and Ms. Sullivan seem to be more inseparable than usual these days, I take it she has been instrumental in the healing process as well?"

"Chloe's been a real blessing to us both. I remember after Jonathan's funeral Clark buried himself in working around the farm, not really talking that much to anyone. Don't misunderstand, he would still talk to me, but not like he used to, he wasn't letting himself go through the grieving process."

"Then when I was mugged while dropping off some of Jonathan's things at the homeless shelter, it was like all of Clark's rage was focused on my attacker even though I assured him I was okay as someone rescued me. Clark went from spending all his time working on the farm to working in Metropolis with Chloe to find the mugger."

"Clark was so obsessed with finding the mugger and getting his father's watch back that I couldn't reach him. It was thanks to Chloe that I knew anything about what was going on. She has been there for Clark as much as she's been there for me. It was only shortly after that when Clark finally came back home with the watch, while I was watching an old video of Jonathan and Clark riding on the tractor when he was little, that he finally let himself grieve."

"Ah yes, I remember the headlines that ran in the Planet at the time, 'The Angel of Vengeance'. I had the pleasure of your rescuer's company for a short time, though her actions towards me were hardly what one would expect of an angel. It was yet another occasion that your son saved my life, although I still suspect it was more for her benefit than mine. However, whatever the reason, I am still grateful."

Martha looked to him and returned his words with a small smile. Lionel then reached over and softly rubbed her shoulder before taking a sip of coffee.

"Clark told me Lana had found his father's watch in a pawn shop, bought it, and gave it to him. I'm grateful she did as Jonathan taught Clark how to tell time with it. Although I could tell he appreciated Lana getting it back for him, that did resolve the divide that had been growing between them. Then a short while after that Clark finally made the decision to end his relationship with Lana. Actually, it seemed to me that things between them had ended long before then."

"I believe Lana was only staying with him because she knows what it's like to lose a parent, and she felt obligated to try to help him through that. Still, I knew the relationship could never go anywhere because Clark would never tell her about his abilities, no matter how close they got. I know he'll always care for her, but not the way someone cares for the person that they'll spend the rest of their life with. I believe that he's always known deep down that she wasn't the one."

"So I take it was after this that Ms. Sullivan began seeing so much more of Clark?"

"No. I mean he told her about ending the relationship with Lana, but I didn't see things between them change until recently. Those two have always been so at ease with each other, I've never seen anything like it. Then after Chloe found out about Clark's secret, well if I didn't know better, I'd say they were reading each other's minds. Still neither one of them seemed to want to risk taking the next step. As strange as it sounds, I believe it was everything that happened during Dark Thursday that brought those two together."

"It doesn't sound all that strange to me Martha; sometimes it takes a catastrophic event, or situations that force us out of our comfort zones, to make us move on with our lives. Making changes is never easy for anyone but it is one of the few certainties in life. I believe that facing these changes head on, overtaking them, and doing so in a manner that allows one to adapt the new situation to their advantage is what makes us stronger."

"You could certainly say that was the case for Clark then. I remember shortly after things were starting to settle down somewhat around here, that I came home to find Clark sitting in the family room staring at the inscription on the back of his father's watch. When I asked him what was on his mind, he asked how I knew Jonathan was the one. That's when I knew he was finally confronting the situation with Chloe. It wasn't long after that, in fact it was when you and I had returned from a surveying tour with the governor on the repairs to Metropolis, that they told me about their relationship moving forward."

Martha smiled happily as the events of that afternoon replayed through her mind. It seemed all too infrequently that life afforded Clark the chance for happiness. She also observed that Clark always seems to feel that if he experiences joy in life, that he is somehow depriving others from being happy in their lives.

Though she and Jonathan tried countless times to explain to him that this was not the case, Clark seemed determined to forever beat himself into the ground on a daily basis, especially after his self-imposed exile to Metropolis three years ago.

However, she thanked the Lord that Clark seemed to be changing that outlook, and had taken a big step in doing so by talking to Chloe about his feelings for her. Although she knew in her heart that there was little question those feelings were reciprocated, Martha knew trying to tell Clark that straight out was pointless.

It was one of those situations that Lionel described, a person had to face that challenge on their own, and she was grateful Clark had. The way he lit up whenever Chloe was around always did her own heart good. Finally she heard Lionel's voice and turned to him in embarrassment for getting caught up in thought.

"Are you all right Martha? You looked like you were half-way around the world from here."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry Lionel; after having gone through so much pain my mind was replaying events leading to happier times. I guess I just got lost in those thoughts and was holding on to the happier times. Pretty silly I suppose, we all have memories to think back on, but we live in the present and it's probably healthier to focus on what's ahead of us."

"It's quite all right Martha; don't apologize for recounting happier occasions. If there's anyone that's due some time of happiness, it's you. I must confess I do worry about you Martha. Please understand…I know that you are a very capable woman, with a son that would literally move mountains to help you, but I still find you on my mind quite often."

Lionel broke his gaze into Martha's eyes in shame for having, in his opinion, looked weak. Glancing at his watch for the first time that evening, he was surprised to see how late it was getting. Looking back to meet Martha's eyes, this time with a renewed feeling of strength, he spoke before she could.

"It would seem what Mark Twain said is true, 'Time and tide wait for no man.' I have thoroughly enjoyed the evening Martha, but I see it is getting late."

Martha too had not paid any attention to the time, and now turned to glance at her own watch.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lionel; I did not mean to keep you here so late. I'm really glad you came by this evening, I've enjoyed talking with you."

There was a moment of silence when they met one another's gaze, and though one presumed the other was probably thinking the same thing, neither wanted to break the comfortable atmosphere that had developed over the evening.

Lionel broke the impasse as he turned to get his jacket from the coat hanger by the front door. Martha followed him to the door and opened it after he'd put the jacket on. He moved to go out the door but paused right in front of Martha and looked her right in the eye; the gaze lasting a little longer than it should have. Lionel leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before standing upright again.

"Have a good night Martha. Please do feel free to call me if there's anything I can do, or if you'd just like to talk. I'm always here for you."

Martha reached up and gingerly patted the side of Lionel's face, letting her hand rest there a moment before moving it back to her side.

"I will Lionel, thank you, have a safe trip back to Metropolis."

Lionel nodded to her and walked on outside towards the LuthorCorp helicopter. Martha let the screen door close and stood there. She watched him wave in the direction of where Clark and Chloe were before getting into the helicopter.

Shortly after that the helicopter roared to life and slowly took off. As there was a new moon out tonight, the machines marker lights seemed brighter than usual as Martha watched it fly off towards Metropolis.

Thoughts crept back into her mind as she did so, thoughts that she'd intended to bring up while speaking with Lionel this evening. Although she'd told Lionel that nothing but friendship could ever develop between them, every now and then she felt pangs of something more than friendship.

These thoughts confused her and even hurt her to some extent. Jonathan was the love of her life and she still missed him a great deal. Even though it would soon be a year since he'd past away, she'd promised herself to never let herself feel for someone else again.

The importance of keeping Clark's secret safe helped to cement the promise she'd made to herself. However, Lionel not only knew Clark's secret, but had known it for a long time now. In addition, his connection to Jor-El had made him an honorary member of the family for some time.

Also, Lionel had never pressed her for anything more than friendship, even before she'd spelled out to him that friendship was all that could ever be between them. Still, these feelings were not the same as she'd had for Jonathan. He was, and always would be, her soul mate and no one would ever change that.

Martha felt certain that Lionel was all ready aware of these feelings, even though she hadn't discussed them with him. She could see the change in his expressions every now and then, and his eyes expressed more at times than she thought he meant to let on.

Yet he was ever the strategist, and always seemed to turn from glances that lingered a little too long. It was that part of him, Martha believed, that had made him so successful in business. Closing deals was more than just facts and figures, it was about charisma, presence, and tact – all attributes that Lionel had honed so well that he could not help but carry them over into his personal life.

Being that things always seemed clearer after a good night's sleep, Martha decided on that as her best course of action. She glanced towards the barn and with the light from its flood lights; she saw Clark and Chloe talking with Shelby lying at their feet.

Smiling to herself, Martha stepped back and closed the kitchen door. Knowing those two, they were liable to stay up through the night talking, and rather than interrupt them she headed upstairs to turn in.

Meanwhile, Clark and Chloe's conversation regarding Martha and Lionel continued…

"Chloe, you know me better than that! I don't go around listening in on other people's conversations, not unless it's an emergency."

"I know but I had to say something to get you to snap out of it. You're very protective about the people you care about and I appreciate that, more than you know. But as much as you want to protect her, you still have to let your mom live her own life. I think she's a lot stronger than any of us give her credit for, and we both know she's more than capable of dealing with Lionel."

Chloe watched him carefully for a response; it seemed it was taking a while for everything she said to sink in. Slowly, a look of thoughtfulness, understanding, and then appreciation washed over Clark's face.

Then he moved to put an arm around her, pulled her carefully to his side, and led her back towards to the porch. Still looking at her with appreciation, but with a hint of mischievousness, on his face he finally spoke.

"So tell me, when did you trade in your press pass for a degree in psychology? Have you started putting together a portfolio of your work to send in to replace Dr. Phil?"

Chloe was relieved by Clark's playfulness; she had been worried that he'd snap back into that all too serious mindset which seemed to monopolize his time. Although, given the situations and the responsibility they found themselves facing, she could understand his frame of mind.

However, the old adage, 'all work and no play…' applied even to heroes, especially superheroes. Yet Chloe wasn't one to be outdone by a smart-alec remark, especially since she was the self-proclaimed queen of snarky-remarks. So, in response to Clark's query, she playfully elbowed him.

"As a matter of fact, I sent in a complete biography cataloging all my experiences treating an intergalactic traveler, just last week. I'm sure my brilliant work will not only ensure I replace Dr. Phil, but my phone will be ringing off the hook from media gurus everywhere seeking an interview with the ace reporter turned psychologist."

"Okay, okay, I give up. I yield to the queen of snarky remarks and quick whit. Seriously though, you're right about what you said about mom and Lionel. In fact if it wasn't for the fact that she had been working for him a few years ago, we may have never known just how close he had gotten to my secret. I guess with everything that has happened lately, I have become even more protective of those close to me, especially since we moved past the friendship stage in our relationship."

Having made their way to the porch, they both went over and took a seat on the swing facing the driveway. Shelby came up with them and found a spot to lie down on the porch, just off to the side of the swing. Clark moved his left arm around and rested it on the back of the swing, and looking at Chloe continued speaking.

"I guess I've just seen those close to me get hurt so often, and it's usually somehow connected to my secret, that being protective has become sort of a reflex action. When you think about it, I suppose it fits with my tendency to beat myself up over everything that happens."

"Clark, I…"

"Please, let me finish, I was going to say that I'm grateful to have someone like you here to catch me when I make mistakes like this. Chloe, you know me better than anyone, you're my best friend, and I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you. Some people go through their whole life without finding that person, or taking the chance of letting that person in if they find them, but if they do, it makes life's journey so much more amazing. What I'm trying to say is…I love you…and I'm forever grateful to have someone like you."

Although it wasn't storming at the moment, you could smell one approaching in the air, and the sporadic gusts of winds were as much a give away as anything else. Just then one of the gusts of wind passed near the house, which caused the hanging flower baskets to flail about.

As the wind whipped through the porch, it started the swing off to the side of them moving to and fro. The swing was stilled, with a loud thud, against the porch railing as the wind died down, and it startled Chloe. She was so startled that she jumped clear off the swing and had a death grip on the porch railing.

Clark held a confused look on his face while Chloe stood there doing her best to catch her breath. Normally she would not be so startled by such ambient sound, but when Clark spoke to her, really spoke to her, she tended to shut everything else out and listen.

Clark started to ask if she was okay, but thought better of it after the lecture he'd been given on being so serious. The look of surprise on Chloe's face sparked a memory of a funny old story his dad had told him growing up. He began telling it, with a humorous tone to his voice, and waved his hands around in gesture to accentuate the words.

"It was a dark and dreary night

And devilish too

And from down the street

A hobo flew

And from his belt

A knife he drew

And cut a banana half into!"

Clark finished the story with the biggest grin Chloe had ever seen on his face, and then he fell back in the swing laughing. At first Chloe was at somewhat of a loss as she had never heard such a tale before, but then realized she'd released her death grip on the porch railing during the telling of the story.

And as she looked at the situation; herself, Clark laughing on the swing, and Shelby looking over quizzically at them, she started laughing too. After a few minutes the laughter subsided and Chloe finally found her voice.

"That's the silliest, most absurd thing I've ever heard of, where in the world did you get that one?" Chloe asked as she took a seat beside Clark.

"It's an old story my dad used to tell me when we'd go fishing. Sometimes we'd be sitting there on the bank of the lake, early in the morning, and dad would catch me starting to doze off. He'd start telling the story real quiet-like, and then raise his voice to normal as he got near the end of it. I always found it funny growing up and I remember I'd fake dozing off sometimes just to get him to tell the story. Then when he got near the end of it, I'd surprise him, or he let me think I surprise him, by jumping up out of my quasi-slumber to finish the story. Dad always laughed when I did that, never even complained that I probably scared all the fish away in the process."

Chloe smiled at him and then rested her head on his shoulder. She put her hand over his and slowly rubbed her thumb over the back of his palm.

"That's a great story; I appreciate you sharing that with me. I'm glad to hear you talking about joyful times you spent with your dad."

"It gets a little easier to remember the good memories of him as time goes by, and the bad times we shared seem to just fade away. Speaking of dads, have you heard from your dad recently?"

Chloe yawned and said "yeah, I got an e-mail from him last night; things are going well for him over in Star City. He seems to be settling into the latest promotion he received to Regional Director of Operations. I think he has to spend more hours at work now, but I guess the pay increase makes up for it. He asked how you and your mom were getting along, said to give you two his best."

Clark glanced at his watch and, for the first time, noticed how late it was getting – almost eleven o'clock. No wonder Chloe yawned.

"Man, time sure flies when you're having fun. I'm sorry Chloe; I didn't realize it was so late. What do you say I drive you back home? That is, uh, unless, I can persuade you to spend the night here?"

She sat upright to look at him and a sly grin crept on Chloe's face. She then bit her bottom lip and gave him a suspicious look. Suddenly it dawned on him what he'd just said, or at least how it sounded after he'd said it, and he started rambling before she had a chance to speak.

"Wait…um…look…let me explain…that's not what I meant! You could sleep in my room and I'd sleep downstairs on the sofa."

Chloe fought back another yawn, shook her head, and laughed lightly at Clark's funny retort. "It's okay, I know what you meant Clark, and you don't have to go Jackie Gleason on me; I was just giving you a hard time. I think the caffeine kick from the last cup of coffee I had has given out. I know your mom's had a long day and I wouldn't want to put her out by staying the night. Let's go with 'Plan A', you can drive me home." She then handed him her car keys and they stood up to go to the car.

Clark turned to Shelby as they went down the front steps. "All right buddy, you keep an eye on things while I'm gone. I'll be back soon." The dog moved from laying down to sitting up right, as if he'd understood Clark's instructions, and wagged his tail as he watched them get in Chloe's car and drive off.

The drive from the farm to Chloe's parking place behind the Talon seemed to pass too quickly for Clark. However, it was long enough of a trip that Chloe had fallen asleep in the passenger seat next to him. He was relieved to see no sign of Lois' car back yet, that would make this a little easier, he thought.

Not wanting to wake Chloe, he carefully got out of the car and made his way over to the passenger side to open the door. Clark successfully unlatched the seatbelt, removed her from the car, and closed the door without waking her up.

He'd just made it upstairs and inside her apartment when she shifted a little in his arms, nuzzling her head closer to his neck. Clark froze in place at her movement and waited to see if she was going to wake up. However, after a moment she resumed her peaceful, rhythmic breathing, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Clark carefully walked over to lay Chloe on the sofa so he could pull the covers back on her bed. He hesitated after getting to the sofa as he never got tired of being able to hold Chloe. Although it seemed silly, he still felt that the only time he was sure she was safe was when he held her.

At least that's what he kept telling himself. He was doing his best to ignore how soothing her breathing felt on his neck. Finally snapping himself out of his internal debate, he forced himself to put her down on the sofa, and carefully removed her shoes.

After turning back the covers on her bed, Clark carefully picked her up off of the sofa, carried her to the bed, and gently tucked her in. He leaned over and kissed her forehead before turning to leave. Clark set the lock back on the door, closed it behind him as quietly as he could, and ran back to the farm at top speed to get some sleep too.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The ride from the hospital back to the Luthor mansion was a quiet one for Lex and Lana. Although both took turns looking at one another during the trip with questions neither were in the mood to press for the answers. Lex was hardly the worse for ware, the only hindrance to him was a sling for his right arm.

However, the doctors assured him before he was released from the hospital that the sling would not be necessary after a few days. The rate at which Lex was recovering from the gunshot was astonishing, but Lex had quelled their insistence that he remain for further tests. The data he'd kept on file after his run in with Van McNulty sufficiently sated their curiosity.

While having someone after him was nothing new, he was still not used to having Lana with him to worry about. He knew Lana was strong and had been through a lot in her life, but he never bargained on having her become directly involved situations like this.

Being thorough and overly cautious was part of his repertoire, and having done his due diligence before securing the services of Robert Pontius, he was more than irked that someone of his aptitude would be dispensed of so easily.

The irony of the fact that it was Clark that had showed up to get them out of the warehouse was not lost on him. Although he'd explained the winds from the storm were responsible for putting out the fire, it was Clark that had to assist them in getting over the timbers that obstructed the exit from the caged area they were in. It seemed fate had decreed that Clark would always be the one to make the gallant saves, despite any action he'd take to insure otherwise.

It was still hard for Lex to remember what had happened along the way to cause Clark to give up on their friendship. While he'd never shared all the details of his business operations with Clark, that was nothing new, in fact, it had been that way ever since they met. Lex felt he was more honest with Clark about projects he had underway than he had been with anyone else. Yet Clark would not allow him to help protect whatever it was that seemed to put the weight of the world on his shoulders.

And despite his assertions to the contrary, Lex felt certain that his father was now privy to whatever it was that Clark felt had to be kept from him. Lex was more than dumbfounded by the entire situation; a state of being that did not rest well with him. After all, he'd lost count of the times when he had to warn Clark about moves Lionel was planning that could pose a threat to the Kent family.

At least Lucas was still on his side, despite his prior paranoia to the contrary. Lex knew that they had a meeting on the books, but when he first saw him in Lionel's office, the dots were too easy to connect to pass up. Truthfully, he now felt indebted to Lucas as he did to Clark; he'd risked his life to protect Lana.

Lucas was smarter than Lex had given him credit for, he didn't try to stop Lana from what she'd set her mind to. That was a lesson he'd learned himself after the appearance of the black ship and Milton Fine. Whatever else Lucas had on his agenda, at least he'd done this, and always kept mum on the research involved with Level 33.1.

Although political aspirations had been doused by his loss to Jonathan Kent; the black ship, Milton Fine, and being possessed had cemented in him a new goal; the need to develop means to protect mankind. In the Art of War, Sun Tzu said, _"__Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive__**.**__"_

Granted the means of research into the developing adequate defenses for such enemies violated the Geneva Convention, to Lex, these methods exemplified what Sun Tzu referred to as 'defensive tactics'. It was just as he'd told Ryan those years ago, '_Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty, make compromises_.' Still, Lex had been unable to shake Ryan's reply to that, even after all this time, '_That's what your father told you. That doesn't mean its right._'

Those words and the last conversation he'd had with Ryan, before the tumor in his brain claimed his life, crept back into his conscious mind on occasion. In discussing the collapse of Devilicus and Warrior Angel in the comics, Lex told Ryan '_…the road to darkness is a journey, not a light switch_.' In rebuttal, Ryan had said, '_You should remember that, Lex_."

Lex shivered slightly as the conversation played itself back through his mind. Ryan had been remarkably intuitive, and unnervingly insightful. Lex had discovered some scientists believed people with tumors of the sort Ryan had, could possess enhanced sensory perception.

Did that mean that his dedication to the ideals of defense and security were about to eclipse his own semblance of humanity? Had he swerved onto the road to darkness without knowing it in his zeal to provide the most effective defense?

No. Lex couldn't allow himself to believe that. After all, Lucas could understand his line of reasoning, his entire upbringing was based on survival of the fittest, and perhaps that's why he remained allied to the project. While Lex wrestled with his thoughts on this matter, Lana kept drifting to the forefront of his mind.

She had witnessed, firsthand, the severity of the threat humanity faced, and he had learned a while back that she'd undertaken research of her own to learn more about the threat. When he'd brought her into the fold, by including her in the process of researching the black ship, she had always been supportive of his efforts.

Beyond that, during the course of their working together in researching the project, a new relationship began to blossom between them. Although he enjoyed their mutual closeness, he knew how she felt about Clark; even after everything that had happened up to that point, he still felt obligated to help try to nurture their relationship. So, he restrained himself from broaching the perceived change he felt directly. Yet despite his best efforts back then, Lana and Clark's relationship ended, for good according to her.

And Lana had felt comfortable enough with him to not only tell him about the break up, but had informed him he was the first to know about it. Surely a person that was consumed by darkness would be incapable of feelings like those he had for Lana. Lex recalled verse 24, chapter 6, from the book of Matthew; _"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other_._"_

Therefore someone that was consumed by darkness, like he feared, would then be driven to only satiate that master. A person completely enveloped on the road he and Ryan had discussed would not have any room in their lives for love.

With all of this in mind, Lex decided to check in on Lana, he left his bedroom and headed for the study. As he walked into the study he found her standing at his desk, manipulating the remote for the mansion's security monitors.

"Given everything that's happened Lex, I can understand the added security guards around the mansion, though this is more than I bargained for. See, guards are aware of what's going on around them, who's there, and what's considered off-limits when it comes to areas of personal privacy. It seems you neglected to mention that I'd also be living with Big Brother watching me 24/7."

"Lana, those are just the feeds from the security cameras to ensure the safety of everyone on the grounds. As you mentioned, with everything that's happened, I'd expect you, of all people, would appreciate having a watchful eye being kept that never needs sleep."

"I see." Lana then presses a switch on the remote that changes the main security monitor to video recorded earlier of her changing clothes. "So exactly what security threat was I posing while I was alone in my bedroom?"

Lex walked over and leaned against the back of the sofa, near his desk. "Okay, look Lana; you clearly have the wrong idea. Those cameras are only accessed in case of an emergency. I have too much respect for you to ever invade your privacy like that."

"That's just the point you all ready have. Lex, I want this to work but either the cameras go or I do, your decision."

Lex studied her face carefully and thought for a moment before answering. "The footage recorded since the time you arrived will be erased. The camera in your room will be removed within the hour, but the rest of them stay. You're free to make other arrangements Lana, but this is the way I live and it's not gonna change."

Lana stood quietly, looking him straight in the eye, and considering the response to her ultimatum. Finally, she looked down at the remote, over at the security monitors, and back at Lex.

Then she turned her focus back to the security display and pressed a switch on the remote that moved it back to its hidden resting place behind the bookshelves. She reached across the desk, put the remote back in its storage box, and then went over to Lex. Lana reached up and softly caressed the side of his face.

"I accept your proposal Lex. Look, I understand that a person with your stature cannot afford to be too careful. It's just…well…I'm not someone of your stature or clout, and it's taking me some time to get used to the way you live. Just, if you feel the need to increase security measures any further, please pay me the courtesy of letting me know about them beforehand? As long as we're honest with each other, I think we can survive anything."

Lex straightened up, walked over to his desk, picked up the phone and dialed his head of security. The line was immediately answered, and Lex informed him to remove the surveillance camera from Ms. Lang's room immediately.

After hanging up the phone, Lex walked over to the sofa facing the hearth, and took a seat. He sat there regarding the flames dancing within the fireplace for a moment. Then after taking a deep breath, Lex looked back toward Lana and spoke.

"I'm glad to hear you say that Lana. Truthfully, after these last few months, I've grown quite fond of you being here. It's amazing how certain events make us take stock of those around us, and they way we feel about them. I've been truly blessed to have someone of your beauty; strength, intelligence, and passion for knowledge become such an intricate part of my life."

"I'm sorry for not having been as straightforward about everything I've been working on as I should have been. Please understand that all my life, I've been taught to rely on only myself, and even those I elect, employ, or delegate responsibilities to are still to be held under an eye of suspicion. The concept has been drilled into me, ever since I was little, that every deal one enters into; be it business or any other kind is based on deception, just like going to war."

Lana walked over and sat down beside him on the sofa, angling herself slightly so she was looking directly at him. A familiar look of concern crossed Lana's face and she tilted her head to one side as she spoke.

"Lex, a person will go insane or worse, if they have to face every situation as if it were a military siege."

Lex was touched, genuinely touched, by her words. They were real; not a tactic to try to get him to divulge information that could be used against him. In response, he favored her with a small grin, looked down at the floor for a moment to collect his thoughts, and then looked back at her.

"I know Lana, but when it's the only life, the only means of surviving, that you've ever known…the concept of anything else seems almost…alien. Even so, I've been trying to adapt to this very concept, to allow you access past this barrier I've built and fortified over the years."

"I feel like I'm fighting not just against becoming my father, but my very nature, everyday that I strive to let you in. You have to admit that the past few times I let someone get close, the results have been less than favorable."

"I understand Lex. None of us are perfect, and we're all only human. So much is said about the perfect life, the perfect career, the perfect idea, but I say if you show me something that's perfect; I'll show you something that's not. However, that doesn't mean that just because a relationship doesn't work out, that a person should isolate themselves."

"And you have more perseverance than anyone I've ever met, I dare say 'quit' isn't in your vocabulary. That said, I'd also venture to say that you determine your actions, your nature if you will, rather than allowing them to govern you, I don't see you allowing yourself to become a slave to something like that."

"Wow…."

"What?"

"You…like I said, I haven't had much success with relationships in the past. It's refreshing to be with someone that speaks their mind so freely, with such eloquence, and is so supportive at the same time. You're truly a rare, special person. More than I think you realize."

"Now you're giving me too much credit, I'd hardly put eloquent and myself in the same sentence. Chloe has always been very eloquent in expressing her thoughts and feelings through prose." Lana turned to regard the fireplace, her mind briefly drifted back to nearly four years ago.

On her way out of the Torch office, she'd happened across a letter Chloe had written to Clark that expressed her feelings for him. Bringing herself back to the present, Lana looked down at the table in front of them, turned to look at Lex, and continued speaking.

"Speaking of Chloe, she and Clark are together now."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you and Clark worked to be together for so long, how do you feel about him moving forward with Chloe?"

"I'm happy for them Lex, you know Clark and I ended our relationship a long time ago."

"I know that Lana, I was the first one you came to after the relationship ended. It's just…well…I know that my friendship with Clark had been strained prior to the two of you breaking up. However, I knew what remained of our friendship would be shattered if he'd been told about our relationship by anyone but you. So, what I'm getting at here is how does all of this sit with you? And, if you don't mind my asking, when did you learn about this?"

"It's like I said before Lex, I'm happy for them. Chloe's like a sister to me, and I want her to be happy. Those two have been friends for as long as I can remember. It's no secret that Chloe has always had feelings for Clark beyond friendship. And although he never admitted it, I've always thought Clark was more comfortable talking to Chloe. As for when I learned about this, it was the other day when Clark stopped by looking for you."

"Clark came by looking for me? I'm surprised he was concerned for my wellbeing."

"It's the truth Lex; he said Lionel asked for his help once he'd realized you'd been kidnapped. Clark insisted that even though you two weren't the best of friends now, he didn't want to see you get hurt. After I told him I was not aware of any recent threats made against you, he said there was another matter he needed to discuss."

"Of all the people to do so, Clark brought up the subject of honesty, which was a surprise to me, and then told me about him and Chloe's change in status. It's funny, he sounded a lot like you, his concern was about how the friendship Chloe and I share would be affected by them getting together. I'm curious, did you all ready know about this?"

"No, this is the first I've heard about the two of them being together. I'm happy for them though, and I know how close you are to Chloe. It seems that Clark and I had the same conclusion, that you might have felt some measure of resentment towards her for being with him. Since you mentioned Clark asking about recent threats, I'm intrigued as to why you didn't mention my dealings with Robert Pontius?"

"Lionel for one thing; when you first told me that you suspected you were being followed, you said you thought he was behind it. Seeing as how Lionel was the one to tell Clark about your disappearance, I thought it best to try calling Mr. Pontius after he left. However, all I got was an answering machine when I called his office so I started looking around your desk. I found the remote for the security monitors and had just begun reviewing the recordings when Lucas walked in."

"After learning that he was supposed to have had a meeting with you, I filled Lucas in on what was going on, and then we learned the address of the warehouse you were in from the security recording. Before leaving the mansion I called Chloe, got her voicemail, and left her a message asking her to check out 1024 Hayworth Street. You all ready know what happened after Lucas and I got there. Do you still think Lionel was behind your kidnapping?"

"Well, since both Block and Wagner were killed in the fire at the warehouse, I suppose we'll never know for certain. Just before I was abducted I paid my father a visit; I wanted to confront him face to face about being followed. Of course he repudiated any involvement in having me followed, and assured me that if he had been responsible; I would never have known about it. For what it's worth, I believe him."

"You do?"

"Yes, my father may be many things Lana, but he takes pride in his ability to orchestrate operations with clandestine precision. Hindsight, if I'd thought about it longer, I suppose I would not have accused him. Those that had been following me were good, but not good enough to have been working on my father's payroll."

"If they had been on his payroll, I can assure you he would have learned of their carelessness in carrying out an operation and terminated their employment immediately. Still, with everything I've been through with my father, it was an instinctual reaction to presume he was responsible for it all. He also raised a good point while I was there, he said the actions I took while inhabited by Zod could have been witnessed by anyone."

"So, what do we do now?"

Lex leaned back in the sofa, drew Lana close to him with his good arm, and kissed her forehead.

"We keep living our lives Lana. If there's one thing a person grows accustomed to being a Luthor, it's the idea that there's always someone out there trying to kill you. If I kept myself locked in the mansion every time there was a thread made against me, I'd never go anywhere. In a way our situation is very much akin to being in business, there's always someone out there that's trying to figure out a way to put you out of business."

"Yes, but instead of a business, we're talking about our lives here."

"I know Lana, but the methods one takes to win a battle, or keep from being put out of business are not so dissimilar. You've ran the Talon for a long time, you are aware of the vigilance one must keep to remain prosperous. History has proven time and again that the best offense is a good defense. Therefore, I've employed measures to ensure this is a position least likely to be attacked; while not turning it into an outright stronghold."

Lana nodded in understanding before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. She leaned her head against Lex's shoulder and thoughtfully caressed his chest.

"I understand Lex; vigilance is a prerequisite not just for succeeding in business, but as Thomas Jefferson said, 'the eternal price for freedom.'"

Lex slowly rubbed Lana's arm while he gazed into the fire. "Thank you for understanding Lana." Although relieved by Lana's words, he still had a the feeling that Lana was carrying more around inside when it came to Clark and Chloe's relationship than she was letting on. Yet he'd pressed the issue as far as he was going to; for now, he'd give her some space.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Although getting shot was never a pleasurable experience, it had served its purpose. Lucas always liked to have a stacked deck when undertaking any operation, and one with as many moving parts as this one; he decided to rig up another one at the last minute. By getting shot while attempting to 'attack' Block; Lucas assured himself the guise of innocence to all parties concerned.

It also provided him time to alter the settings on equipment's autodestruct sequence for the surveillance feed going out of the warehouse. To all outward appearances, the equipment there would still look to be fried as planned, but the feed being transmitted to Oliver's secured network would remain intact.

All of this had indeed proved to be the way to go. The cordoned off area Lex had been kept in registered as being compromised, the surveillance system read the situation as such, and the equipment scrammed as it was programmed to do.

Lucas stretched ever so gingerly as he stood up from the terminal connected to his private server at Oliver's complex. He'd just finished reviewing the surveillance footage transmitted after he and Chloe left the warehouse. The contents of said footage were, interesting to say the least, and he decided now was as good as time as any to follow up with Oliver.

What really made the footage interesting was what was not seen, rather than what was seen. He'd made a mental note of everyone in the warehouse when he allowed Chloe to take him to the hospital, and verified it in the footage. While he knew that Block and Wagner had procured the serum samples from Lex's office at LuthorCorp, he'd noted all the vials were destroyed in the ensuing melee.

This was the second time he'd personally witnessed (all be it this time was via surveillance footage) a seemingly miraculous event while Clark Kent had been present. He'd all ready done his due diligence and found numerous incident reports on file at both the Smallville and Metropolis Police Department's databases where Clark was reported as being present at the scene.

Still, there was nothing concrete in any of the reports that one could use to directly connect Clark with extraordinary abilities. However, he'd lived through enough experiences in his life to know when there was a connection to be had; even when concrete evidence was lacking.

Lucas was also mindful of what his instincts told him. Although truth be told, his instincts, and probably his general outlook on life had matured since the incident with his father and brother those years ago. So, for now, he would keep his suspicions about Clark's involvement at the warehouse to himself.

While mindful of Oliver's priority to locate people with abilities to aid in his agenda, he knew Oliver would need definitive proof. Also, if Clark had worked so diligently to prevent anyone from finding out about his abilities, there was probably good reason. Besides, as he'd told Lionel on the phone, anyone that risked their neck on his account had earned his respect.

So, he figured he owed Clark for saving his life a few years ago when Dirk tried to take him out. If the incident reports he'd reviewed from the Smallville and Metropolis Police Departments were any indication, Lucas figured Oliver and Clark would cross paths soon enough on their own accord.

That being said, he decided to instead only make Oliver aware that there was someone else present at the warehouse with abilities, but remain vague on any details. As he made his way into the living area of Oliver's penthouse, he found it empty, but noted the doors to the balcony were ajar. Just as Lucas made his way out onto the spacious balcony, an arrow whizzed past him and lodged into the building's exterior façade.

"Nice shot Oliver but I think the building's all ready dead. You may consider aiming at a moving target next time for more of a challenge."

"Cutesy, I'll take that under advisement Lucas. To more pressing business, I thought we agreed to restrict the use of lethal force after the incident with Mr. Pontius."

"We did Oliver but Block went rogue on us, and it appears Wagner was following lock-step with him. I was shot and nearly killed trying to stop him for crying out loud, and Wagner's death was unavoidable collateral damage by his own actions."

"Hmm…I guess we'll have to be more thorough in our background checks, and more careful about whom we trust in the future. That reminds me, how's our buddy Lex holding up after this whole ordeal?"

"I just finished reviewing the surveillance footage, including up until the conclusion of operations. Whatever abilities Lex had back on Dark Thursday are completely gone. However, someone else in the warehouse appears to have other abilities beyond what we suspected Lex of having."

"Who was it?"

"It's hard to tell Oliver, whoever it was kept out of direct sightlines from the security cameras. I have gone back through the footage from all of the available angles to no avail. This guy was smart enough to stay behind storage crates or in the shadows so identifying him was out of the question. Before you ask, I all ready tried running IR filters and a myriad of other video enhancement programs, it's no good."

"Nevertheless, this person may be invaluable to our overall objective Lucas, we need to find him."

"I'm sure we will Oliver, as you say, one crossroads at a time. Speaking of which, any other thoughts with the crossroads regarding Senator Kent?"

"I've decided on moving forward with that endeavor. Everything I checked out supports all the claims she's made thus far while in office. What really sealed the deal for me was the last memo I received from the governor's office. Martha Kent maybe new to the world of politics but she's all ready established herself as a person of great conviction amongst her colleagues and constituents."

"And her relationship with dear old dad doesn't give you pause?"

"No, from everything I went over, there was nothing to suggest that Lionel has had any influence on the senator's approach on issues. It's like you said before, the more popular and fiscally sound decisions LuthorCorp achieved were made during the time Martha Kent worked for Lionel. So, if anything, I'd say Martha was, and though I'm sure Lionel would deny it, probably still is the influential member of that relationship."

"Yes, it's hard to believe isn't it, Lionel Luthor being influenced into actions and decisions that may have been, knowing him; probably were, counter to what he initially planned on?"

"It's a little reassuring actually, who knows, maybe there's hope for him yet, thanks to Martha Kent's actions. Plus it proves that Lionel's only human like the rest of us; even someone of his bravado can be swayed by a lovely, intelligent woman. I'll tell you this, the habits and ambitions of women are more a mystery to me than Egyptian hieroglyphics. And in all of my experiences, I have yet to find the all important Rosetta stone to make sense of it all."

"I just presumed that a man with your stature, and reputation of being such a playboy, all ready had everything figured out. But, what you're saying is you're just another pushover for the ladies like the rest of us, huh?"

"God hasn't made a man that could stand up to the power that lies between a woman's thighs. You see the hold women have on a man's life is unbreakable. It can bring a strong man to his knees, as seems to be the case with Lionel. Just go back and look at history for proof of what I'm saying. Look at the kings and kingdoms that have fallen in this world to the behest of a woman. Am I right?"

"Indeed you are Oliver. I can assume you're referring to the English King Henry VIII. Didn't exactly bring him to his knees, but he did tell the Pope to kiss his ass, and set himself up as head of the church in order to divorce Katherine of Aragon and take Anne Boleyn as his second wife."

"Bingo but the man wasn't done yet, if memory serves, he went on to have six wives. If there were ever a prime example of a man being a glutton for punishment, he was it."

"Amen. I think I'll stick to corporate management, generating profits, and self-independence; it maybe stressful at times but all things considered, I think a man will live longer."

"I wouldn't go that far Lucas. There's a great deal to be said for the kinship of a woman. Being self-reliant and independent is all well and good, but too much, that's just too extreme for me. Without women and marriage we'd all have wound up drunk, shot each other to death, or died of gonorrhea. Speaking of which, seeing as how it'll take some time to get scheduling worked out between Senator Kent's office and mine, I think I'll take a little trip; seek out some female companionship."

"All right, I'll keep working on trying to find out who else was in the warehouse that night. However, it's doubtful someone that's gone to that much trouble to remain out of sight will be found quickly. See you when you get back. By the way, where are you headed off to?"

Oliver turned and looked out across Metropolis' skyline towards the Daily Planet building. He took a deep breath and drew back on his bow, while aiming an arrow towards the Daily Planet's globe.

"Good question, I'm feel up for some deep sea diving, and seeing as how it's been a while since I've been there, how about…Malaysia?"

Oliver lets the arrow fly from the bow, it sails true through the night sky, and finds its mark on the globe; on the southeastern tip of the continent of Asia. Specifically, the arrow lands dead center on the peninsula nation of Malaysia.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The middle of the morning found Clark up in his loft. He was thankful to be back to his normal self again, as far as normal went for him anyway. He was looking forward to the outing he and Chloe had planned. After everything that had happened recently, Clark figured they were due some down time.

With all of the chores all ready done for the day, he was busy collecting some items from the southwest corner of the barn to take to the lake. The cooler, all ready stocked with ice and refreshments, sat by the stairs with several towels folded on top of it.

Not wanting them to get bored while at the lake, he took a quick inventory of the items he'd collected: baseball mitts and ball, a Frisbee, a football, a checkers set, and a deck of playing cards. Clark was satisfied with what he'd collected, gathered everything up, and started towards the stairs. He stopped when he heard Chloe making her way up the steps quickly; though carefully.

Usually whenever Chloe came up the stairs like that, something was wrong, so Clark quickly set everything aside and went over to meet her as she reached the landing. However, in this instance, Clark was wrong; instead of a concerned look on her face, Chloe walked up with her classic million-dollar smile on.

Clark's eyes immediately moved from her face to a large, red, diamond-shaped kite complete with blue, yellow, and red tails. He presumed the kite was the cause of her grin.

"Hey you! I figured the lake might be too cold to swim in, so I brought this along to keep us occupied. And what makes this particular past-time so convenient is that we don't even have to wait for it to get windy."

Chloe playfully flourished it up to hold against his chest, and waited for him to take it. Clark tentatively took the kite from her with both eyebrows raised in mock confusion, while also considering a suitable response.

"Gee…um…thanks? I guess I should be grateful you didn't show up asking 'what makes a balloon go up?', then you answer your own question with 'hot air!', and then hand me a bag full of balloons while asking 'what's holding you down?!'" Finished with what he hoped Chloe would find a funny rebuttal, Clark now stood there with the kite outstretched and waited for her to take it.

Chloe bites both lips together in an effort to hold back the laughter threatening to escape. Finally she released the death grip on her lips, took the item back from him, and managed to work up a slight pout in response to his scorn. Clark only narrowed his eyes at her, gave her half a grin, and shook his head.

Still amused by his reaction to what she thought was an ideal, and in her opinion witty, selection for a pastime; Chloe turned to gingerly place the kite in a carrying bin set on the trunk that also served as a makeshift table in the loft.

Meanwhile Clark headed back to the corner to grab some blankets and sunscreen. He brought them back to toss into the carrying bin and Chloe spoke; still with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Come on, lighten up Clark! I mean, doesn't it make you curious about other potentials this new ability may hold? Just imagine it, _Clark Kent Airlines_, nonstop service to Metropolis."

Clark paused from his actions, and a look of thoughtfulness replaced the nonchalant look on his face, as he considered her words. Chloe took note of his abrupt stop and stood there, wordlessly, studying his features. Although she'd gotten to know him even better since they'd been dating, he'd still get these looks on his face, like the one he had now, and she'd find herself struggling to understand exactly what was going on in that brain of his.

She'd meant the crack about his new ability leading to an airline company as a joke, and was sure that he'd understood it as such. Yet there was always that part of him that seemed to analyze any comment as constructive criticism, even a jest, to see how it could be applied to a personal fault of his; and how he could correct it.

Self-flogging was nothing new for her either, she'd done things in the past that she wished could be erased or undone. Notable among the list of transgressions that she kicked herself for was having slept with Jimmy that one time. What was strange was that she still could not narrow down exactly what led to the event, but the thought of it still caused extreme confusion for her.

Granted, she felt down at the time as she'd lied to herself and Clark. Following the events of the tornadoes interrupting the spring formal during their freshman year of high school, Clark had reached out to her, on his own accord, to apologize for rushing off and asked what he could do to make it up to her.

There was no way she could be mad at Clark, he'd left for a good reason, to save a friend; so naturally she'd forgiven him ten times over. Yet she couldn't bring herself to be honest with him, and instead of saying he could make up for the formal by taking her out; she'd employed a classic defense mechanism, she'd insisted it'd be less complicated if they'd just remain friends.

Then Clark, being Clark, went along with her; not that she'd given him much of a choice in the matter. So, even though she and Clark weren't dating at the time, she still felt like she'd betrayed him, and her feelings for him, by having slept with Jimmy.

Her thoughts then drifted to another betrayal that caused her great bereavement; this time it was when she agreed to sell him out to Lionel for a column in the Daily Planet. To say that Chloe had played the question of 'what-if' through her mind from that event would be an understatement, and this was only one of many events that she'd replayed through her mind.

Somewhere along the way though, she'd come to terms with the fact that everyone had to deal with mistakes they'd made in the past; after all, nobody's perfect. However, that did not mean she was free of the occasional 'pity-party', just that she'd learned to recognize the signs, and conditioned herself to snap out of them.

This incessant need for introspection was something they'd worked on after his dad's funeral; well, after he'd let himself go through the stages of grieving for his dad. The biggest hurtle was getting Clark to accept that even with all that he could do, there were some things even he couldn't change.

Oh sure, understanding that you cannot be everywhere at once to help people sounds plausible enough to your typical human being, but try explaining that to someone who's stopped a nuclear missile with his bare hands.

However, Clark was slowly adjusting to this new acceptance, much as he had to adjust to a new ability. To his credit, the frequency, and even the longevity, of these instances of silent self-ridicule had decreased dramatically.

After loosing track of just how long they'd been standing there, Chloe snapped out of her thoughts to find Clark was still deep in thought. For a moment she considers tossing a snarky remark at him about spending the day daydreaming, but decides against it.

Especially after standing there so long herself. Instead she decided to gather up the baseball mitts and ball, the Frisbee, the football, the checkers set, and the deck of playing cards that Clark had set aside for their trip.

She reached down and collected the items without difficulty, took them over to the carrying bin, and sorted them carefully into it; so as to not damage the kite. The trouble came when Chloe stood up too quickly from arranging everything in the carrying bin, and a terrible pain shot straight-up her neck.

Crying out in pain, she instinctually reached back to place a hand over the back of her neck, and leaned back down slowly; using her other hand to support herself by resting it on the trunk. Before Chloe's hand had a chance to steady itself on the trunk, Clark was at her side with both arms wrapped carefully around her.

"CHLOE! What happened, are you okay?"

"Ugh, yeah, sorry about that; I've been trying to mind my neck when moving around. I guess I just moved a little too quickly this time around, it felt like fire was running up through my neck muscles."

"Take it easy, can I move you to the sofa?"

"Yeah, the burning has passed now, I think I'm good."

Chloe slowly stood back up, taking extra care not to move her neck around with any voracity. Together, they took the couple of steps around the trunk; all the while Clark kept his arms wrapped around her.

Chloe noticed Clark still had a worried look on his face and his arms were still firmly in place, even though they were now comfortably seated on the sofa. Turning gingerly, she managed a wry smile as she looked at him.

"Clark, its okay, I'm not made of glass; I'm not gonna shatter."

He let out a heavy sigh, closed his eyes, and leaned over just enough to lightly rest his forehead against hers. A moment past and she let out a light chuckle, causing Clark to sit back up, move his arms away from her, and look at her with a questioning stare.

"I don't get it Chloe; you seemed to be doing okay when you got here. You wanna explain what's going on?"

"It's no big deal Clark, just a mild case of whiplash."

Clark's questioning look turned to one of confusion. "How did you wind up getting whiplash?"

"A dog ran out into the road up here on Highway 90, so I slammed on the brakes and cut the wheel to avoid hitting it. Before you start in on me, yes I was wearing my seatbelt, and no, I wasn't going over the speed limit. Anyhow, I managed to avoid hitting the dog, though my head was jarred around pretty good from the sudden stop."

Chloe stood up carefully, holding up a hand at Clark to let him know she was okay, and walked over to the opened loft window.

"After I pulled in here I checked myself over, in the process I turned my head too quickly and had the same sharp, burning pain go through my neck that happened just now."

Clark stood up and walked over to stand by her at the window. As he leaned against the frame around the opening, Chloe continued. "All I did then was put my head back carefully against the headrest and wait for the pain to pass. Once the pain was gone I finished giving myself a once over, found I was in good shape minus the whiplash, and made a quick mental note to not turn my head around too fast."

Chloe chanced a glance at Clark and saw he still looked concerned, so she kept on reassuring him.

"Really, it's no big deal; I've had cases of whiplash much worse than this. Remember about three years ago, during that mess with the Levitas project, when William Taylor tried to push me off of Coughlin Bridge with his truck? My neck talked to me for the next two weeks after that debacle, believe me this'll be gone in no time."

Clark looked down at his feet for a moment, and then looked back up at her. "Would you mind if I took a 'look', just to make sure there are no cracked or broken bones?"

Chloe faked a perturbed sigh and then answered him. "If I say 'yes', you can take a 'look', and find nothing wrong; then will you let the matter drop?"

Clark beamed a giant grin at her, raised his right hand in the same manner a boy scout would when taking an oath, and answered her. "Scout's honor, I promise!"

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him, but held a grin that negated her gesture. "Cute, but you were never in the boy scouts Clark!"

Clark just winked at her and then motioned for her to stand still. Chloe watched as he tensed the muscles around his eyes. A moment later his normal vision switched over to x-ray and Clark carefully examined her.

Aside from a few calcified areas on her arms, where the bones had mended themselves back together from past fractures, he could find no sustained injury to her skeleton. Clark relaxed the muscles around his eyes, blinked, and his vision was back to normal.

Chloe stood there giving him an exasperated, but teasing, 'I told you so' look before he had a chance to say a word. Unable to help himself, Clark let out a light chuckle, closed the distance between them, and gave her a hug.

"Thanks for humoring me Chloe; I know sometimes I'm probably worse than an overprotective mother hen."

Enjoying the hug, Chloe lazily caressed his back, and chuckled out loud. "It's okay Clark, I appreciate the concern, and now at least you know I'm fine."

Clark couldn't contain a laugh that stirred from her comment. Not sure of what she said that was so funny, she finally spoke up. "What'd I say that was so funny?"

"You said you were 'fine'."

"Yeah, what's so funny about that; is there some joke about Milton Fine that I missed?"

"No, but as an avid movie buff and aspiring journalist, I figured you knew what 'FINE' stood for."

Chloe thought for a moment, specifically recalling movies they'd watched together. Then she thought she had it, the acronym seemed right on the tip of her tongue, but it was one of those times where she just couldn't reach it. Annoyed at not being about to recall what 'FINE' stood for, she stomped her foot against the wooden floor.

"Okay, I know it's from a film we've seen but I can't remember which one. I give up, what does 'FINE' stand for?"

Clark pulled back from their hug so he could look her in the eye, but stayed close enough to keep his arms around her.

"Just one thing first, don't go making any sudden movements that'll cause your neck to flare up again. Deal?"

Chloe eyed him suspiciously at first, like he was implying that she'd intentionally made movements earlier to aggravate her whiplash. Then she kicked herself for even allowing that thought to enter her mind, which was just Clark being protective again.

"You've got a deal Clark, now spill it!"

"Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional…'FINE'."

Chloe rolled her eyes at the explanation of the acronym. "Oh yeah, from the remake of _'The Italian Job'_, I remember that now."

"That's the one Chloe, ha-ha; glad you can remember something from a film besides _'The Princess Bride'_."

"Hey, don't knock the classics Clark, besides, you know you enjoy _'The_ _Princess Bride'_ too."

"Yeah, I like the film well enough, but I don't pick it every time we sit down to watch a movie."

"Very funny Clark but I still don't see how any of the components of the acronym, 'FINE', are applicable to me."

It was Clark's turn to laugh as he had to agree with her assessment. "Well, to be fair, I never said the term, 'FINE' applied to, you were the one to say you were fine."

Chloe gave him a snide look at that remark.

"Ha-ha, sorry Chloe. No, 'FINE' doesn't apply to you, but you have to admit that it describes Lois to a 'T'!"

Chloe lightly slapped his back at his remark, though as much as she loved her cousin, she could definitely see Clark's point of view. "Hey, that's my cousin you're talking about! Still, you're right, she can go a little more than overboard at times. Okay…maybe a little more often than not, but still…she's family."

"I know…I'm sorry. How about this, we drop the subject of your cousin entirely?"

"Well, since you're twisting my arm about it…you've got a deal Mr. Kent." Chloe gave him a coy smile and carefully moved back against him for another hug.

Clark leaned his head down and smiled into her hair. After giving her a light squeeze, he lead Chloe back over to the sofa, stood over her for just a moment, and looked as if he was considering something again. But instead of getting lost in thought, he then sat close to Chloe, gingerly placed both hands on her shoulders, and tenderly turned her body so as to face away from him.

Chloe began to question what he was up to; then hesitated when Clark started massaging the muscles at the base of her neck methodically, eased across her shoulders, and carefully worked down her arms stopping just above the elbows.

Chloe took in and let out a deep breath while Clark's hands carefully slid down her back, then he tentatively moved them upward, and every so often stopped to manipulate his thumbs in small circles along the edge of a shoulder blade.

Eventually he reached Chloe's hairline at which point he repeated the same circular motions at the base of her skull. Clark hoped this would help to sooth these muscles and work the pain out of them; much in the same way a person would rub a muscle cramping up.

Chloe's eyes closed as he continued working the sensitive muscles near her hairline.

"Mmmmm."

Although Chloe said she was okay, Clark was surprised at just how tight all her muscles were, and figured they were more painful than she'd let on. "You're awfully tense Chloe; do you want me to get you an ice pack?"

Chloe thought to herself, 'ice pack? You've gotta be kidding me, this is _way better_ than any icepack.' She finally found her voice again to answer him out loud. "Mmmmm…no Clark, what you're doing's great."

"Okay." Clark then cautiously moved his hands to the small of her back, and with his thumbs, began delicately working the muscles that ran along either side of her spine. He continued this motion all the way up her back. When he reached the base of her neck, Chloe slowed her breathing, enjoyed the serene sensation Clark's massage was creating, and then felt herself melt.

Clark had paused when he felt her breathing change, and sat there motionless waiting for her to say something. She was being so quiet; Clark started to ask if she was okay when she turned around to look him in eye.

Neither moved for a moment, time seemed to stand still, and then Chloe cupped his face in both her hands and pressed her lips to his. Clark relaxed into the kiss; his fingers reached up to trace Chloe's jawline and carefully moved through her hair. Slowly, and tenderly, Clark moved his arms around Chloe's shoulders and pulled her close to him.

Chloe felt a slight pang of guilt as she sensed Clark was still a little tense about possibly causing her discomfort. For just a moment the thought entered her head to tell him she was okay and began to push back, but the thought quickly dissipated from her consciousness.

The only cognizant thought that remained in her mind was that this was too good to ruin with talk. With her hands still resting against his chest, she could feel the rhythmic beat of his heart speed up and the increasing heat beginning to radiate from his skin. Chloe collapsed against him completely, closed her eyes fully and kissed back contentedly.

Clark continued to hold Chloe right up to him and they continued their loving lip-lock for a long while. Comfortable in their exchange, Chloe moved her arms around Clark's neck, and he responded by slipping his hand just under her shirt; his fingers seemed to skip across her skin.

Clark's touch felt feather light, and Chloe felt shivers start to run up and down her back; without the slightest hint of pain. Somewhat dazed by the euphoria of the moment, Chloe tenderly eased herself even closer to him and intensified the kiss.

Clark felt the last bit of tension he'd had about causing her any discomfort slip away; his hands teased their way across her skin as they came to a rest on her waist. He'd kissed Chloe in the past, but each time seemed even more intense than the last. A myriad of sensations coursed through him and he effortlessly timed the opening and closing of their mouths to the tempo of their breathing.

Suddenly, Clark broke the kiss and looked back toward the stairs. Saddened and somewhat dazed from the abrupt separation, it took Chloe a minute to collect her thoughts.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone's on their way up here, I heard a car drive up, and now I can hear someone walking towards the barn. From the sound of the engine, I'd say it's the person we'd just agreed to quit talking about."

"Oh, nice catch. At least that impeccable hearing of yours caught on that someone was getting close. Heck of a lot better response time than when we changed our relationship status and your mom walked in the house with us making out on the family room sofa."

"You're never gonna let me forget that are you? Poor ole Shelby didn't wag his tail for a week after your foot landed on it."

"Ha-ha, well I wouldn't have been in such a rush to get up if you'd paid closer attention to your senses."

"Uh, Chloe, I was kind of on sensory-overload, I'd never been in such an intense make-out session with you before. Okay, well not like that without one us not being ourselves; under the influence of meteor-rock, or some other outside factor. Although the one time in the Planet before I went to fight Zod is a close runner up. Besides, you know full well that I didn't let my mom catch us like that on purpose."

A mischievous smile spread across Chloe's face as she reached up to caress the side of his face. "I know you didn't let us get caught on purpose, but come on, I wouldn't be fulfilling my duties as a proper girlfriend if I didn't give you a _little_ grief about it every now and then."

As much as he might want to, Clark couldn't keep up his charade of false anger anymore, and a goofy grin took over his face. "Okay, you win, but unless you want to get a lecture from Lois about 'there being a proper time and a proper place' for everything, I suggest we move."

Chloe gave him a quick wink and then carefully worked to untwine herself from him. Clark then got up and went to move the carrying bin for their trip to the lake over to the cooler. He'd just set it down and looked back to see Chloe walking over as Lois reached the top of the stairs.

"Don't faint you two, miracles really do happen. Man has traveled to outer space, high definition television was created, and yours truly got her first by-line on the front page of the Inquisitor."

Beaming with pride, Lois walks over to stand prominently in front of the trunk, and presented the latest copy of the Inquisitor to Chloe; as if it were a long sought after collectable. Clark walked over to stand behind Chloe as they scanned the newspaper.

'CRAZY CLIMATE OR ALIEN INVASION' was splashed across the front page in large, bold font. Chloe was the first one to speak up after her and Clark and reviewed the article.

"Hey, that's great, Lo. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole alien angle, but…"

As Chloe drifted off in mid-sentence, Lois jumped in to quickly explain the headline. "Yeah, I wasn't exactly thrilled about the E.T. slant either, but my editor was adamant that it'd help sell more newspapers, so…"

Clark let out a short laugh at Lois' explanation of events and put in his two cents worth, "well, let's hear it for journalistic integrity at its finest!"

Lois shot him a short smirking glare. "Look, honest you guys, when I was in the midst of writing that article, I don't know, I think it's the happiest I've ever been in my life. The rush of discovery, the clickety-clacking of keys, the smell of new ink on a page; mmmmm…I believe I've finally found my niche."

Chloe and Clark looked at her with expressions that could only be described as expressions they'd give if she were to announce she'd just won a Pulitzer Prize. Lois eyed both of them with a 'yeah, whatever look on her face'. Chloe handed the newspaper over to Clark and looked back at Lois.

"Hey Lo, how about you tag along with us to the lake? We'll celebrate your first official article with a splash."

Lois turns around to glance out the loft's window for a moment, and then turns her attention back to them. "Have either of you looked up at the sky lately? It looks like it could rain buckets any time now, and since I don't care to go swimming in the rain, I'll see you guys later."

Lois gives them a quick wave and then headed off downstairs. Clark quickly tossed the newspaper aside and walked over to the loft's window. Chloe followed and stood next to him. Clark looked over at Chloe with a 'what do you think' look, and without a word, Chloe shrugs and looked back at him with a 'why not' look on her face.

Clark inhaled deeply, gathered all the air in he could, and looked over at Chloe every now and then with a 'just give me a minute, I'm working on it' look on his face. Chloe couldn't help grinning at Clark, happy to see him being able to have a little fun with his ability.

Finally he stopped inhaling air, turned to put his head just out the loft window, and with Chloe looking on, he let-lose all the air he'd inhaled. The resulting massive blast of wind sent all the storm clouds that were threatening rain off, beyond where the eye can see. Admiring the now clear, blue sky with sun shining brightly, Clark leaned back from the loft's window with a huge smile plastered on his face. Chloe also takes in the inviting weather before them and says, "It worked."

As Lois got to her car, she looked up at the sky in wonder noticing the clouds had cleared. She put her hand up to her face to shield her eyes and silently mouthed the word, "whoa!" After a moment she got in the car, shook her head, and decided it's just another typical day in Smallville before driving off. Just as she left the driveway and pulled on to the highway, her cell phone rang.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Of all the people Lois expected to get a call from, he was the last person she figured would call. Okay, if she was being honest, maybe next to last as the General would probably be the last person she'd expect to call. Anyhow she'd gotten a very excited Jimmy Olsen to slow down and explain why he'd called her; though getting him to stop ranting tested the limits of her civility.

If ever pressed for a reason as to why she'd agreed to his query, Lois would simply state that he'd caught her amidst the natural high she was experiencing from having gotten her first by-line at the Inquisitor. No other explanation accounted for why she'd agreed to meet up with him and drive up to Lone Pine, otherwise known as 'make-out point' that evening. Now, with nothing going on but the windows of the cars around them cycling through various degrees of getting fogged up, Lois was wondering what was really going on.

"Okay Jimmy, you wanna explain what we're doing here again?"

"I'm not exactly sure of all the details Lois. Like I told you earlier, I picked-up an anonymous tip that there's something really weird going on up here. I thought this would make a good story, and seeing how fired up you were on researching that story for the Inquisitor, I thought you might wanna check this out with me."

"Uh-huh, well the only thing weird I see going around here is two people up at make-out point not making out."

"Huh? Oh, that, um, well I guess we could work on being a little more convincing, seeing as we're supposed to be undercover." He tentatively reached an arm over and around her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"You're kidding right, Jimmy, are you hitting on me?"

"What…me…no, no…I'm just trying to put on a believable front. Uh, did you want me to?"

Lois liked Jimmy well enough, and yeah he was sort-of cute; in that school-boy, bow-tie kind of way, but she thought of him more like the little brother she'd never had. She contemplated grabbing his hand and bending his fingers back until they cracked, or possibly putting him in a head-lock to drive her point home, but deemed these actions to be overkill for the guy. Instead she reached over and removed his hand from her shoulder, and went with the tactful approach.

"Uh…I'm not sure what you thought would happen out here tonight, but I most certainly don't want you hitting on me. Look, you're a nice enough guy, but I'm not interested in you like that."

"No, no, hey its cool. Like I said, I was just trying to put on a good front. It's not like I…"

Jimmy was interrupted by a girl's blood curdling scream from deep in the woods. They both turn to look out the car's side windows, but were unable to see anyone.

"Whoa, that doesn't sound like someone having a good time. I think it came from just down the trail, come on let's check it out Jimmy."

"Yeah, right, we should certainly go chasing after a scream like that in the dark woods."

"Would you can it, you were the one that said there's something weird going on up here; maybe this is it. Let's go."

Jimmy sighed in defeat as Lois grabbed a flashlight from the back. Apparently not a big fan of the outdoors, at least at night anyway, Jimmy stuck to Lois like glue as they headed down the path. They called out to see if anyone was there but got no replies. They stopped every so often to pan around the area with the flashlight, looking for any sign of the girl they heard cry out. On one of their stops, Jimmy posed a question.

"Why in the world would anyone leave the comfort of their cars this time of night to wander off into the woods?"

"Well, it's just a hunch, but I'd say the girl and her beau were probably going to the lake."

"I think this is a lousy idea, we don't know what we're going to run into out here. We ought to head back and call somebody."

Lois lets out a shrill whistle and yelled, "Hey! Is anybody out there?"

"Uh no, I was thinking more along the lines of us calling those trained for situations like this; like the police, maybe?"

She disregarded his pleas to call off their search. As they ventured into the woods, they began to run across articles of clothing that the guy and girl had been wearing. They followed the trail of apparel until they reached the girl's shirt. Lois handed Jimmy the flashlight to examine the shirt for any signs of foul play.

However, there were no rips, tears, or holes in the shirt; it's simply been discarded. Lois motions for Jimmy to pan the light around the immediate area, looking for anything else out of place, but neither of them saw anything.

Lois sighed, "Well, that's it I guess, the trail of stripped-off clothing runs out here."

A strange tapping sound began and Jimmy turned the flashlight back to the girl's shirt. The flashlight reveals a drop of red liquid, beginning to soak into the shirt's material. As they both examine spot more closely, Jimmy asks the obvious question.

"Is that…"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know blood when I see it."

They turned their heads skyward, looking for the source of the blood dripping down. Jimmy ran the flashlight over the tree branches near them. The beam from the light revealed the young girl they heard scream out from the forest. The girl's face was badly bruised, her eyes fixed in a terrified gaze, and there were a myriad of gashes oozing blood from her lifeless body. As Jimmy scanned the light back over her body, they see where the girl's been impaled through her midsection by two ragged limbs.

Even Lois, who has seen a great deal of gore in her life, was taken aback by the sight before them, and just loud enough to be heard uttered, "oh, my God…"


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Martha was in the kitchen looking over an invite from Lex for a Dark Thursday Benefit. The benefit is going to be held on Wednesday, October 11, 2006, at the Luthor Mansion located at 100 Sayour Road, Smallville, Kansas. The invite read, 'Lex Luthor Cordially Invites You to a Costume Ball Benefiting the Victims of Dark Thursday'.

She supposed that Lionel would be attending the event and decided to give him a call. Picking up the phone, she dialed the number he'd gave her that by-passed his assistant; after only one ring he answered the line.

"Good morning Martha."

"Good morning Lionel, I hope I am not disturbing you."

"Not at all, what can I do for you?"

"I was calling because I received the invitation in mail for the charity ball Lex's hosting for the victims of Dark Thursday."

"Yes, are you having trouble getting in contact with his staff to RSVP for the event?"

"No, I'm calling to see if you'll be attending ball."

"Yes, I'm hoping to offer some measure of restitution to all those recovering from the catastrophe. I blame myself in part for the tragedy's occurrence; if I'd been more proactive and governed Lex's actions…if I'd done more to reign in his obsession for knowledge…I'm sorry Martha. You did not call to listen to my self-ridicule over past events, as you so eloquently pointed out, that I cannot undo."

"It's okay Lionel, I'm a firm believer in venting one's frustrations; I think it's an effective method as anything out there in helping a person deal with them. Besides, I'm sure I've filled the quota, probably exceeded it at times, for relaying my frustrations to you. I'm very grateful for it though, I know it has helped me a great deal."

"Nonsense, you know I owe you and your son a debt I can never repay. I'm grateful for every opportunity to be of assistance, and I'm most appreciative of our friendship; Martha."

"Thank you Lionel, that's actually the reason for my call; it concerns our friendship."

"Oh dear, have I done something to offend you? Please tell me, whatever it is; I would like to try to rectify my error."

Martha smiled wordlessly, though somewhat tentatively, into the handset before she continued.

"No, no, you haven't done anything wrong at all; far from it. Lionel, I meant to bring this up the last time we spoke, but by the time our conversation had allowed for it; the hour was late and we were in need of some rest."

"What is it Martha, I'm listening."

"Our friendship, our relationship, I feel like…it's changing…please don't misunderstand, the friendship is still very much present. It's just there have been several times over the last few occasions that we've spent time together where…"

"You've perceived something more complex than friendship developing between us?"

"Yes, I apologize if I'm being rude in bringing this up. The first time I noticed this, I thought it was a misperception on my part, and pushed it to the back of my mind. However, as I said, I've felt the change in our meetings since. Have you observed the same thing, or is it just my mind playing tricks on me?"

"No, I don't think your mind is playing tricks on you Martha, and thank you for mentioning this to me. I too had noted a change in the air around us as of late. But given the definitive boundaries you've expressed to me in regards to what our relationship could be, I thought it best to hold my tongue."

Lionel paused and considered his next words carefully.

"Especially after our conversation shortly after you'd accepted Jonathon's seat in the senate; I concluded I'd misconstrued the apparent change for your kind-hearted nature and overall concern for the well being of others. Given this conclusion, and the fact that I did not want to earn your ire, I stifled any perception of having feelings for you beyond friendship."

"I see, so…"

"Martha, I'm well aware of the public perception held of Lionel Luthor, but please believe me when I tell you that I have not tried, in any way, deceptively or otherwise, to look for anything more in our relationship beyond friendship."

"I'm well aware of the public's opinion of you; we've known each other a long time. Nonetheless, I've also gotten to know the Lionel Luthor you've become; you are not the same person you were when we first met. I'm conscious of tolls taken on my emotions as I've adjusted to the trials from this past year, but I'm still capable of discerning when the proverbial wool's tried to be pulled over my eyes."

"Oh, I don't doubt that whatsoever. Our friendship is very dear to me, and I felt it was important that you hear directly from me that, I'd never do anything to jeopardize that."

"I believe you and I feel the same way about the friendship we have. It's also comforting to hear that you've noted these changes I've felt. I'm not exactly sure where we go from here, we've both lost spouses, and I know Jonathan will always be the love of my life."

"As you are aware, my marriage to Lillian was far from the Rockwellian ideal you had with Jonathan; yet I loved her greatly and never married again after she passed. I know how much you loved Jonathan, and it was clear that he loved you very much. That kind of love; I believe is found once in a lifetime, and while I think it's possible to have feelings for someone else down the road, no one can ever replace that first love."

"Very true, and I think most people go through life without finding the person that completes their life. That said; I don't want to keep traveling through life wondering what might have been. Given the mutual affection between us, what are your thoughts on possibly exploring the matter further?"

"While I would like to expand our relationship beyond the bounds of friendship, I'm hesitant. I don't know that enough time has elapsed since Jonathan passed away. It may be that the feelings you believe you have for me are just part of the grieving process. There's something, someone, else to be considered in this situation…"

"You mean Clark."

"Yes, while I've been grateful of the hospitality he's shown, I know there's a great deal of his father in him. Although I have this link with his biological father, I believe his overriding instinct is to be wary of me. Lex is also to be given consideration, while his friendship with Clark has deteriorated over time; I believe he still holds your family, especially you, in high esteem."

Lionel sighed lightly, wondering why Lex would not go of his obsession with Clark. Yet in the back of his mind, he full well knew the reason, he'd raised Lex to pursue enigmas.

"I know he sees my friendship with you as only another psychological chess match; with the endgame still to be determined as far as he's concerned. I fear the possible repercussions from any progression in our relationship. While he endeavors to emanate an invulnerable persona, Lex is very much a fragile man."

"And what about Lucas?"

"I think Lucas is much too obsessed with himself to be concerned with the feelings of others. And even if I'm mistaken in this matter, there's been nothing said in any of our conversations that points to him causing a commotion over our relationship."

"Lionel, I won't presume to speak for Lex or Lucas, but having helped to raise him; I think I can speak for your concerns about Clark. You're right, there's a lot of Jonathan in him, and it's no secret that he imparted his disdain for you to him. However, Clark's always done his best to look past a person's faults to see the good in them.

That said Lionel, I'm sure a part of him will always be wary of you, and despite how close we've become; the same can be said for me too. Yet Clark was the one to insist you remain for dinner the other night. While I tried my best to hide it, he clearly saw how disappointed I was when you declined my initial invitation; he took it upon himself to get you to stay."

"Indeed, both he and Miss Sullivan were very resolute in their persuasion that I remain for the meal. Much as I was surprised by his invitation, I think Miss Sullivan's persistence in the matter surprised me even more. Considering our past, she has much reason to hate me as Clark does, perhaps that's another testament to the effect he has on people."

"I like to think so; I've watched Chloe grow into a very selfless young woman, and I'm proud of them both. Regarding your concerns about how long its been since Jonathan passed, I appreciate your trepidations that these feelings may only be part of the grieving process. Yet I believe that everyone goes through the grieving process in their own way, in their own time. I have prayed about this and drawn the conclusion that I would not be capable of the feelings I have for you were I not in a healthy point in the process."

"What about your position as a senator? You once told me that you're not the type of person to turn her back on her friends because of what people think. However, an association with Lionel Luthor beyond our present affiliation…I'm afraid it would cast an even darker shadow on your stature. I have too much respect for the sincerity you embody, and bring to the table for the people of Kansas, to put that at risk."

"Lionel, I think you hold me in too high of a regard. I make mistakes just like the next person, and then do my best to learn from them as I move forward. Also, I believe that the people still think that the majority of politicians are out there working to represent the best of their ability.

While I realize that it's the politicians with scandals out the door that tend to get the most press, I don't equate a relationship with you, especially one that's not made a secret, as such a scandal. Surely, if being associated with you were as detrimental as you suggest; the work that's been accomplished, that I've been a part of, would not have been possible."

"You've made your case, as poignantly as ever, senator. Very well, we may see where this change in our relationship takes us; though I think it's advisable to take things slowly."

"All right then, I'll plan on seeing you Wednesday evening at the charity benefit."

"I'm looking forward to it, good day Martha."

The line disconnected and Martha pressed the 'off' button on the receiver. Content with the way things had gone with her conversation with Lionel; she pressed the 'on' button on the phone and dialed the number listed on the announcement for the costume ball.

Just as she ended the call and set the phone aside on the kitchen island, Clark walked in from being outside. He took notice of the fancy stationary in front of his mom as he walked over to the refrigerator.

"Is that the announcement for the charity ball?"

"Yes, I just called to RSVP for the event, I hope there'll be a large attendance for it. There's still a lot of folks out there working to get back on their feet."

"I wouldn't worry about it mom, knowing Lex, he'll have everyone from Metropolis' 'who's who' list there to help out the families recovering from Dark Thursday. If nothing else, it'll help with their PR clout by being seen at the event." He turns and gets an apple from the refrigerator.

"There's something else, and I know we've all ready discussed this, but I only called him this morning to address the matter."

Clark shuts the refrigerator door, turns to face his mom, and looks down to study the apple.

"So, how did Lionel take the news?"

"I think you would have been a little surprised."

"You mean he turned you down?"

"Not in so many words, he acknowledged having feelings for me, but was extremely hesitant to pursue them."

"Wow, you're right, that definitely doesn't sound like Lionel. So what happened?"

"We had a long talk, addressed concerns as to what pursuing this would mean to our friendship, careers, and our families. Your approval and understanding of this situation was something that he was very adamant about. Long story short, he's agreed to see where this road takes us. I'm going to meet him Wednesday evening at the benefit."

Clark looks up from the apple and gives her a thoughtful smile. "I just want you to be happy mom; I know dad would want that too."

"Thank you sweetheart; I know this is probably hard for you, but understand that no one will ever take your dad's place in my heart or in this family."

"I know mom, I realize Lionel's done a lot to try to make up for his past, and I realize he's helped us out along the way. I hope things work out for you two."

Martha leans her head slightly and gives him a knowing smile of thanks. "Changing topics, I um, I took the liberty of responding for the two of us to attend the charity ball."

"Thanks, mom, but you know how I feel about costumes. Besides, I still haven't talked with Lana or Lex since everything that happened at the warehouse. And something tells me this wouldn't be the best place for a reunion, you know?"

Martha moves to the kitchen counter, retrieves a cup from the upper cabinet, and taking the pot from the coffee maker, pours herself a cup of coffee. She then crosses back to the kitchen island, with her coffee, and takes a seat on one of the stools by it.

"You and Lana haven't been together for a long while, how do you feel about her moving on with Lex?"

Clark walks over to the island, sits the apple on it and picks up the entertainment section of the Daily Planet. The headline for the front page reads "NEXT LEX GIRL REVEALED' and shows a picture of Lex and Lana outside the LuthorCorp building in Metropolis.

"I'm not sure Mom, I guess after all these years I thought I knew them, but now it's like they're completely different people."

"Everyone has their own methods of moving on Clark, whether it's about growing up or simply enduring." Martha looks down and carefully studies her coffee, trying to think of what she should say.

"Mom, Dad's gone and the artificial intelligence Jor-El programmed into the fortress appears to have crashed for good. Yet throughout all of this I've done my best to hold on to who I am. You don't see me as a different person, do you?"

"Actually, I do see you as a different person in many ways, Clark. Everything that has happened has had an effect on the man you are now…and the man you'll grow to be."

Clark sits the newspaper aside on the kitchen counter. A slight frown appears on his face as he goes into one of his introspective moods to consider what his mom has said.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Inside the Luthor mansion, the security force is still present, but greatly reserved from what it had been. Now it seems to blend into the background amidst the flurry of activity. There are a gaggle of assistants, decorators, and planners bustling throughout the mansion's corridors working to prepare the upcoming charity ball.

A fashion designer opens the double doors to Lex's study and rolls a rack of assorted costumes from an amalgam of periods throughout history. His arm fully healed and the sling gone, Lex is currently embroiled in an ardent conversation on the phone.

"Dr. Groll, I don't like riddles. I'm acutely aware of what the appliance is not; your task is to determine what it is."

Lex pauses and turns to see Lana walking in, and noticing the rack of costumes as she does so. The lady tending the rack of costumes stops what she's doing, and begins making an appraisal of Lana. Returning his attention to the phone, he proceeds to wrap up the conversation quickly, "I want a report two hours ago."

He turns the phone off and looks back toward Lana, who's still studying the array of costumes hanging in the study. She notices that he's off the phone, and with a look of confusion, turns to him and asks; "What's with the outdated fashion collection?"

Just as Lex is about to respond, the lady tending the costumes walks over to Lana. "My word, your skin tone and facial features are even more effulgent than depicted in news junkets."

Lana returns the lady's complement with a flattering smile, though still bewildered at the assessment, and looks to Lex for an explanation as to what's going on. He gives her a reassuring smile.

"Lana, this is Monica. She's here to assist us with selecting costumes for the upcoming charity ball. I'm sure she would be more than amenable to help you put an ensemble together."

While grateful for the gesture, Lana has more pressing matters on her mind at the moment than putting together a costume. Wanting to address these concerns privately with Lex, and at the same time not appearing to be rude, Lana tries giving Monica a subtle hint that she should leave.

"Wow, you certainly have an impressive menagerie of outfits, I appreciate the time and effort you spent to bring them here. Still, I've been to costume parties in the past and gotten ready on my own; I think I'll be able to dress myself."

"I don't get it Lana. I figured you would have a great time working with Monica to assume the guise of anyone you'd like."

Gathering that the thoughtful, polite approach was not going to work, Lana decided on a more direct approach. A stern look washed over her face as she completely ignored Monica, and closed the distance between her and Lex.

There was still a trace of civility in her tone, but anger was clearly the winner as she countered his remark. "Well, I can tell you what I'm not...the next "Lex girl. I'm not here to be one of your famous one night stands; I'm trying to build a serious relationship with you."

A little confounded by Lana's onslaught, Lex keeps his emotions in check, gives them a brief smile, and then addresses Monica. "My apologies for the misunderstanding, will you please excuse us?"

Monica's face takes on a slight shade of red, though she manages to give a slight nod to each of them, and then turns on her heels and leaves the study.

"I take it you've seen the newspaper this morning."

He turns away from Lana, goes over to the wet bar, and pours himself a drink from the crystal decanter. "Look, Lana, I was brought up in front of the cameras. I'm well aware of how malevolent that can be. Back during boarding school a reporter caught me between classes; I was only 13 at the time. He wanted to know how I felt about my mother's death. Standing there with a mic shoved in my face surrounded by classmates I barely tolerated…that's how I was informed that she had died."

The look on Lana's face conferred that she'd calmed down a little, but she was still visibly upset by the newspaper article. Hoping to help assuage her concern, Lex sits the drink aside and closes the distance between them.

"The point I'm trying to make here is; the media will drive a wedge between us if we let them."

"Perhaps you're right, but they have their facts straight about your history with women. You've kept a regular circulating inventory of girls in the past."

"I understand how things could have been construed that way from outward appearances. But of all the women I've dated, I haven't ever asked one of them to move in with me."

"What about Dr. Helen Bryce? As I recall she moved in and lived here for a while before you two got married. Lex, I know you. You crave what's seemingly beyond your reach. So, what happens when you miraculously attain it?"

"Lana, Helen turned out to be a black-widow, you know she orchestrated the plane crash that left me stranded on that island. What I felt for Helen was genuine, but the whole time she was manipulating my emotions; she played me for a fool. I'll be honest with you; I'd be lying if I said I didn't struggle against my base instincts every day to make this work with you."

"And you seem to think that I'm having some sort of a picnic trying to accept what you're telling me. I don't know what you expect from me."

"I'd like to think that you would be honest with me. Look, I'm doing my best not to hover, I've given you time, and I've given you space. It feels like we're going through the same motions, I don't think you're aware of what you're looking for."

"Oh I get it; I'm still the naïve, wistful little girl on that _Time_ magazine cover from when my parents were killed. While on the other hand, you are this well-versed, sophisticated scholar that knows exactly what you want?"

"I never said that. All I want is for us to abandon this absurd grandstanding that we're only roommates. Especially when everyone from here to Metropolis knows that façade played itself out long ago."

"Lex…I just…I need…I want to make sure I know what I'm doing here. I have a history of having too much faith in people."

"No, you put too much faith in Clark and its taken its toll. Look, I'm sure you can stand here all day and come up with reasons as to why we won't work, but you can't keep riding the fence. I was hoping that after our last conversation you had reached the decision, to give us a chance. However, I truly wonder what is going on in that head of yours since Clark informed you that he and Chloe are together. I've reached the end of the road here Lana, you can either struggle with Clark's ghost or you can take a chance with me. Let me know what you decide, either way, I'm through making restitutions for his mistakes."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Clark was jarred from his thoughts by his cell phone beeping at him that he'd received a text message. Flipping the phone open, he saw the message was from Chloe. It was short and to the point, _'Stop by apt, bring truck.'_

He pressed the reply button, texted, _'Be there soon.' _then hit the send button and closed the phone putting it back in his pocket. Clark hollered upstairs to his mom that he was off to pay a visit to Chloe, and would be taking the truck. She hollered back for him to tell her 'hello', and told him to drive safely.

Clark passed Lois out on the highway driving to the Talon. He waved to her out of courtesy, but she did not wave back, from the look on her face one would have thought she'd seen a ghost. Finally he decided that Lois was just concerned about getting to the farm on time. From what Chloe had told him, she'd spent quite a while working on that weather story that ran in the Inquisitor, so he figured she was behind on the work she needed to get done for his mom.

With that settled he tried to figure out why Chloe would want him to bring his truck to the Talon. It would have been a lot faster for him to have just ran there instead of driving. Classes had still not resumed at Metropolis University, so she had been rooming with Lois in the interim.

While the apartment above the Talon was well suited for a single person living there, Clark had convinced his mom that it just wasn't designed for two people to live there. So, Martha and Clark had repeatedly talked to Chloe about moving out to the farm until the university reopened. However, despite their best efforts, and Clark's assurance that she would not be putting them out in anyway, she chose to remain with Lois.

Clark pulled the truck into a parking place and as he got out, his heart skipped a beat as an idea eclipsed his current train of thought. He'd helped her out by loading all her stuff in the truck to haul out to Metropolis University back when Chloe first moved into her dorm.

Then she'd also asked about using the truck when she temporarily moved from her dorm into the apartment with Lois. Perhaps either he or his mom had finally convinced her to move out to the farm, and she'd asked him to bring the truck so they could load up her stuff.

That would also explain why Lois looked the way she did earlier. Clark smirked at the thought, in spite of himself. Lois always looked squeamish whenever he and Chloe showed signs of affection for each other in front of her.

Although the onslaught of early morning customers had slowed down a little, there were still an appreciable group of folks waiting on orders up at the counter. Along with the waitresses that milled back and forth with trays, Caroline Cake stood behind the register filling take out orders.

Caroline Cake was a sweet lady that had retired from after being a teacher for almost 40 years. Martha had hired her a while back to oversee to the day-to-day operations at the Talon after accepting Jonathan's senate seat. Caroline had just handed a customer their order when she spotted Clark heading for the stairs. She waved at him and called out as a coworker finished putting another customer's to-go order in a bag.

"Morning Clark."

He returned her wave, smiled, and called back to her. "Morning Caroline, looks like y'all've had a good crowd this morning."

Caroline finished putting together another order and handed it to a customer as she spoke. "You bet, folks still travel from miles around to get your mom's good home cooking!"

"I'll be sure to pass that on to her Caroline, I know she'll be happy to hear that. Y'all have a good one."

"You too." She then turned around, cup in hand, to the cappuccino machine behind her to fill another order.

Clark headed on up the stairs, thankful for the brief conversation with Caroline; it had given him time to calm down. Not that he allowed himself to get unusually nervous or anything, he and Chloe spent time together almost everyday anyhow.

There could be any number of reasons that she needed the truck. One could never tell what she would get herself into; ever since he'd known her, she'd had a penchant for getting wrapped up in a number of crazy situations.

Taking a deep breath, he removed his red jacket, and knocked on the door. A moment later he heard her scurry over from where the bedroom was, unlock on the door, and opened it with a smile.

"Hey."

Clark returned the smile, leaned down, and Chloe stretched up a little to meet him for a quick kiss. As he walked into the apartment, he stopped for a moment to look around. With no sign of any moving boxes stacked up anywhere, he mentally kicked himself for having presumed she'd called him to help move her out to the farm.

"Hey, I got here as soon as I could with the truck. So, are how you adjusting to rooming with Lois?" Chloe shuts the door behind him as she answers his question.

"Oh, you know, closer to coffee, but further from reason." She then moved over, put a hand on his arm, and guided him over towards the couch. "But, you know, until Metropolis University reopens, I guess…what's the old saying about a gift horse?"

"Keep away from the mouth, which is a good rule of thumb anytime you're around Lois, seeing as she uses hers so much."

"No argument there." Chloe laughed as she took a step ahead of him to move some blankets and pillows that were strewn over the couch from it having served as a make-shift bed. Clark took a seat, turned slightly towards the fireplace.

Without taking time to fold anything up neatly, she threw everything behind the coffee table. Then turned and took a seat, close to and facing him, on the couch."

"You know, Lois isn't the only horse offering the gift of a place to stay until Metropolis University reopens dorms. Since you'd said in your message that I should bring the truck, I'd hoped that meant either I or my mom had finally talked you into moving out to the farm."

Chloe gave him a wry grin in reply. "I appreciate the offers Clark but with us dating, well, I just don't want to make things complicated."

"They wouldn't be complicated, we've been over that. You could take my room and I'd sleep down stairs. And don't worry about me sleeping on the sofa; I slept there just fine with all the time Lois stayed with us."

"I know Clark, but I also know your mom, and how much it's ingrained in her to feel like she has to see to guests. We both know she has a lot going on right now, and I don't want to add to the obligations she's committed to. Besides, it shouldn't be that much longer until the dorms are re-opened and I'll be off of Lois' couch."

Clark considered rebuking her claims and convincing her how much his mom enjoys having her around. Still, he's known Chloe long enough to know when she's made up her mind on something, so he decided to let the matter drop. "Okay so what's so urgent that you needed the truck?"

"Lois and Jimmy showed up going on about Lone Pine. Lois asked me to look after Jimmy until he calmed down; he was really freaked out by what happened up there. I could tell she really wanted to stay with this one, but said there was lot she needed to see to with your mom's work."

"I'd imagine so, especially after she spent all that time on that weather story for the Inquisitor, she probably has to play catch up. In addition, she's supposedly been working out details for a meeting between Oliver Queen and my mom for a good while now."

"Exactly, which is why after we got Jimmy settled, she gave me the 411 of what happened before leaving. Well, after I heard all the details, I knew you needed to be in on this. Plus, given how bad some of the roads are up there, I thought having your truck would be a good idea. So here's the deal; they found a body up in the woods out at Lone Pine last night. A girl and a guy decide to make like the birds and the bees, girl gets her wings clipped, and the guy buzzes off."

"So they figured that the guy must have killed her?"

"I seriously doubt some run of the mill teenage guy is physically able of doing so in the manner they described. What I mean is; the M.O. involved wasn't exactly..." Chloe drops her voice to a whisper, "normal, if you catch my drift."

Clark raised his eyebrows in confusion, shook his head back and forth and mimicking her whispering voice asked, "I'm afraid your drift flew over my head, what are you getting at?"

Chloe sighed a little in frustration, and then, her voice no longer a whisper, answered him. "Impaling someone in a tree in less than five minutes isn't something your typical human being is capable of."

Immediately a look of understanding washed over Clark's face, "Unless the guy was infected with meteor rock."

Chloe, thankful that he's finally caught on, shook her head in agreement and added, "And that's all we have to go on at the moment, they spent the rest of the night looking for him, but the guy's still missing."

"What in the world do you suppose those two were doing up at make-out point?"

"That's a question I didn't get a chance to ask before Lois had to take off. Jimmy woke up just before you got here; he's still in the bathroom getting cleaned up."

Just then the bathroom door opened, and the person in question walked in to find them talking.

"What's up, C.K.?" Clark turned around and nodded at him in acknowledgement. Jimmy then went over to the kitchen and started cleaning up the dishes left in the sink. As Clark turned back to look Chloe in the eye, they raised their eyebrows for a second, shrugged their shoulders, and both silently decided not to ask what he and Lois were up to at make-out point. Nodding in agreement, they figured some things are just better left unasked and unanswered.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

After the long night out with Jimmy, Lois sits at the kitchen island nursing an energy drink to make up for the lack of sleep. She's busily working on her laptop, which is surrounded by a myriad of print outs of bills currently before the state senate. A chime signals that she's gotten an e-mail.

Taking a pause from reviewing and confirming Martha's latest proposals, Lois minimizes the current spreadsheet and opens the new e-mail. The message is from the human resources manager at the Metropolis Inquisitor. The subject line reads _'Re: Re: Job Opportunity'_, and the content of the message is short, only one line, it reads '_Do you want the job or not?_'

Lois just sits staring at the screen as though it contained a lengthy report to be reviewed. Although she's proven herself to be an effective campaign manager and, even if she said so herself, a pretty good aide to the senator; she'd never experienced the rush she had while working on the story she managed to get published in the Inquisitor.

At the same time, the Kents had been very kind to her, and given her the opportunity to prove herself. While consumed in thought, trying to make up her mind, several knocks from the kitchen door breaks her train of thought.

Opening the door Lois is surprised to find, what she considers a ruggedly handsome man standing at the threshold. After a moment of awkward silence in which they both take quick, appraising glances of one another, Lois finally remembers to speak.

"Hey."

The gentleman at the door is Oliver Queen. He smiles and returns her greeting.

"Hi."

Lois' attention then turns to an envelope Oliver is holding out to her. Taking the envelope, Lois reads the return address and sees it's from Queen Industries. Ever the one to comment on the obvious, yet tending to miss what's standing right in front of her, Lois addresses the presumptive courier.

"Queen Industries, finally, I thought this must have gotten lost in the mail or something. Mrs. Kent's been waiting for this for weeks, thanks much."

Somewhat bemused that the lady in front of him doesn't recognize who he is; Oliver decides to have a little fun. He merely nods, with a grin on his face, at the attractive young lady he presumes to be Mrs. Kent's assistant, and with a hint of a laugh replies; "you're welcome."

The unlikely, though seemingly mutually interested, pair stands there with silly grins on their faces, neither certain what to do or say next. After another moment of awkward silence and visual appraisals, the idea dawns on Lois that the guy must be waiting around for a tip.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that!" She reaches in her front pocket for some cash, and pulls out several ones folded together. Glancing at the measly amount, she's certain that the going rate for tipping a courier is more than that, but Lois elects to make up the difference by giving the guy an impromptu pep-talk.

"A little piece of advice, someone as handsome as you, well, you could do much better than being a runner for the rich and conceited." Feeling that she's now done her 'good deed' for the day, Lois hands the money out to him. "Here you go."

While grateful for what he interprets as a complement, he's still perplexed by her offering him the folded bills. As he turns his attention to them, Oliver contemplates as to whether he should laugh or ask a question; he quickly decides on taking the question route.

"Um…thank you what's, uh…"

However, before he can finish his thought, Lois, feeling sorry for the guy, cuts him off to keep him from embarrassing himself.

"That would be your tip."

Oliver's now really at a loss as to what's going on, he figured she would have figured out who he was by now. However, despite the confusion, he was having too much fun and decided to keep the game going.

"Uh…a tip…oh…okay…"

He accepts the paltry sum from her and studies it with a smile on his face. Lois figures the conversation is done, and goes to shut the door. Then as she closes the door, she decides to re-emphasize her suggestion to the poor guy. "I'm serious…go for something higher than errand boy…sky's the limit."

Oliver thought he'd prepared himself for all manner of surprises on his trip out to the Kent farm. However, this lovely, though sorrowfully informed, lady was a variable that he'd not accounted for. At the same time she was all most too much, even for him; and that was saying something, in his opinion anyway.

"Listen, miss…"

However, his thought is not to be heard, Lois shuts the door on him before he can get the words out. Still very much amused by the whole ordeal, he stands there a moment and looks through the door's window to see Lois walking away.

Oliver looks at the money in his hand, a sly grin spreads across his face, and he nods his head, and leaves. As Lois opens her laptop to get back to work, Martha makes her way downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Is someone here Lois? I thought I heard the door."

"Yeah, someone was here, your pledge from Queen Industries was just delivered."

Lois hands Martha the envelope 'the courier' delivered, and turns her attention back to the laptop. A look of confusion washes over Martha's face as she looks at the envelope as she looks back at Lois.

"Okay, where's the man that brought the pledge?"

"The courier? Oh, I paid him his tip and he left." Smiling briefly as she remembers the attractive young fellow. Lois keys in her password to resume working on her e-mail reply.

The look of confusion on Martha's face quickly turns to one someone might expect to see on someone who's just been informed that they've missed their flight. And not just missed their flight, but also been informed that the next flight out will not be available for a considerable period of time. She immediately turns and rushes to look out the kitchen door's window, hoping to catch 'the courier' before he leaves.

However, she scans the front yard in vain as Oliver's car is all ready long gone. Martha turns back to Lois with an aggravated look on her face, one that's as close to being flat out ticked-off. This is as upset as we've seen the normally amiable Mrs. Kent in quite while. Quickly, however, her face changes as Martha realizes that Lois probably had no clue what Oliver looked like.

Also, since she'd been so involved with looking into why the barn door had been blown off, she would not have been aware that Oliver had agreed to a meeting at the farm. Still, not quite able to disperse all of the agitation from her attitude, Martha walks back over to where Lois is seated at the island.

"Let me guess dapper, sculpted features, complete with a smile that could light up a barn?"

Startled by her abruptness, Lois is also surprised to hear such an exact description of the courier, especially considering Mrs. Kent wasn't even downstairs while he was there. Still she'd worked with Mrs. Kent long enough that she thought she'd have a little fun and tease her about the guy.

"Why Mrs. Kent, if I didn't know better I'd say you have a crush on the courier." She follows her teasing with a sly grin.

Martha, though still more disappointed that anything about having missed her meeting with Oliver Queen, decides to clue Lois in on what just happened.

"If you are referring to the billionaire CEO who was stopping by to discuss his financial support of my platform, then no Lois; I do not. In fact, I've never had the chance to meet the man, and I doubt I will get the opportunity to now."

Deciding that her best course of action, for the time being, is to collect her thoughts as to what her next step should be; Martha leaves the kitchen. Lois gets the feeling that she's been struck by a ton of bricks, and wonders if it's possible for somebody to be this galactically stupid. Although she's now alone in the kitchen with no one to hear her, she can't help verbalizing the realization that's hit her. "Oh great, that was Oliver Queen."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

A series of local police cars line the edge of the woods at Lone Pine. There are a number of policemen in groups studying grids of the area. There are also several groups of volunteer workers gathered in small groups, all wearing bright-orange vests, and starting off into the forest.

Somewhat surprised at the scene before them, Clark brings his truck to a stop near the path Lois described to Chloe. Getting out of the truck, Clark starts towards the woods, but waits as he sees Chloe go over to speak with one of the officers. A moment later she joins him and they begin their trek into the woods.

"Sorry about all of this Clark, Lois said they'd called the authorities on the way back to the Talon. The officer informed me that they have search parties scattered throughout the woods in a half mile radius. Grandville is also sending over police dogs, and they are should be here within the hour."

"Okay, we'll do our best with the time we've got. Now, where exactly did Lois say they found the body?"

"Just up the road we're on now, she figured it was no more than a quarter mile or so."

"Good enough."

Clark stops walking and puts his hand on Chloe's arm signaling her to do the same. They both look around carefully to ensure there's no one in their immediate vicinity. Satisfied that the coast's clear, Clark scoops Chloe up in his arms, as he has so many times before. He glances down at Chloe briefly and tells her to hold on. She instinctively wraps her arms around his neck as Clark speeds off.

Moments later Clark comes to a halt as they arrive at the area in the woods cordoned-off by yellow tape. Black lettering that reads 'SHERIFF LINE DO NOT CROSS' repeats itself along the expanse of the yellow tape forming the perimeter of the area of interest.

Clark carefully sits Chloe down and she releases the death grip she'd had around his neck. As they begin looking around they're stopped in their tracks by a voice from behind them.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be out here."

They spin around to find a young brunette woman in a forest ranger's uniform walking towards them. After looking at each other briefly, as if flipping an imaginary coin to see who'd explain why they're there, they return their attention to their lone welcoming committee. The apparent winner of the unseen coin toss, Chloe steps forward.

"Sorry, we're with the search party. I'm Chloe Sullivan, this is Clark Kent, and you are?"

The forest ranger walks over to the border formed by the tape strip, not so much in an intimidating fashion, but a move that appears to emphasize that the visitors should not enter the cordoned-off area. The forest ranger pauses to warily regard the young couple and introduces herself.

"Gloria Souders, park services. Have the search parties turned up anything yet?"

Clark takes a step forward, in a subtly protective stance, in front of Chloe. "Not that we've heard of up to this point. What about you?"

Gloria, taking a half-step back from the two, replies, "Well, you know, it's a big forest. There's a lot of area to go over."

While appreciative of Clark's gesture, Chloe isn't about to play the hapless damsel in all of this. Stepping out from behind him, she moves to stand beside him and rejoins the conversation. "So we've noticed it must be easy to feel isolated working out here on your own. I'd imagine there's not anyone around here for miles."

"Actually no, being out here all alone is one of the things I appreciate about my work." Gloria takes note of Chloe's slight advance, but doesn't move from her spot. Instead she directs her attention to Clark. "I'm sorry, you look terribly familiar. We haven't me before, have we?"

Clark frowns a moment in thought, trying to recall if he'd run into Gloria before. "I don't believe so; I spend most of my time looking after a farm. I used to go out on fishing trips with my dad, but that was years ago and we always camped right by the lake."

Deciding to get this conversation back on topic, Chloe asks, "So, you searched this whole area all by yourself?"

Looking away from Clark, Gloria briefly regards Chloe, and responds. "A few times now actually. I've yet to run across anything that's not supposed to be here, except for you two."

"It wouldn't hurt to have one more look around." Taking Chloe's hand, Clark leads her away from the blocked-off area, and a few feet into the woods. He then switches over to x-ray vision and starts sweeping the area. After looking around almost the entire perimeter, his vision picks up a skeleton lying just past a large grouping of fallen logs.

Clark switches his vision back to normal, glances at Chloe, and then hollers out back towards Gloria; "Hey, I found him, go get some help!"

They let Gloria get around the bend on the trail, and then Clark leads her toward where he'd seen the skeleton. Past the fallen logs, they come upon a large pile of freshly broken limbs. They begin clearing them away and find a maze of thorn-laden vines grown into a cocoon-like structure. Inside the interlaced vines lies the missing young man, whose eyes suddenly open.

Clark goes to rip several of the thorn-riddled vines away, but pulls back in pain as the thorns tear at his skin. Surprised from the pain, he lets out a sharp "youch!" He brings his hands in for closer examination.

Chloe moves over to Clark's side and puts her hand around his left wrist, turning it to have a look for herself.

"Oh my God Clark, you're bleeding." They shift back a little in order to sit down, and as they do so, the puncture marks on Clark's hands heal over as quickly as they'd been made. Just then a group of paramedics arrive at the scene carrying a stretcher.

Clark and Chloe move out of the way, and the paramedics set to work cutting away the vines. After getting him on the stretcher, a paramedic starts an IV solution in the young man's arm.

In the mean time, the others set about securing him to the stretcher for transport. Satisfied the young man's vitals are stable; they carry him out to the ambulance waiting to transport him to the Smallville Medical Center.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

The following day Chloe called Lois to briefly give her an update on the story she and Jimmy had started looking into up at Lone Pine. Despite her assuring Lois that she and Clark could handle it, Lois was adamant that Jimmy be kept in the loop; since he was the one to call her in on the story. Lois apologized again for not being able to stay with Jimmy on the story, but she was still working to catch-up on her work for Mrs. Kent.

Against her better judgment, Chloe gives Jimmy a call while she and Clark are on their way to the hospital. After a short conversation to fill him in on the events of the previous day, Jimmy replied that he'd meet them there. When they went up to the room to check in on the guy, his mother was in with him.

The three of them elected to go to the waiting area. They took turns checking in to see when the mom left the room. After several rotations, Chloe skipped back and motioned for them to follow her. They quietly entered the man's room, and as Jimmy shut the door, Chloe spoke quietly.

"Okay, we don't have much time. I followed his mom to the cafeteria, there was a line but it was moving fairly steadily." She then retrieved the clipboard from the foot of the man's bed and began reviewing the documentation on it. "Gees, this guy's really been put through the wringer."

Jimmy looked up and saw the man was still fast asleep. "You guys should've seen his girlfriend wedged up in that tree. As bad a shape as he may appear to be in, at least he's still breathing."

Clark moves over to a light board on the far side of the room, near the room's only window, that holds an x-ray of the man's chest. Switching the light board on, he takes note of several strange dark spots scattered amongst the man's ribcage. "Hey, what do you suppose these things are on his lungs?"

Jimmy and Chloe cross the room to examine the x-ray. "Whoa!" was all Jimmy could come up with as he lifted his camera up to take a shot. While he was in the process of focusing the lens on the x-ray, Chloe leaned slightly closer to studying it.

She took a moment to mentally cross-reference what was on the x-ray with everything catalogued on her e-Wall-of-Weird. "You've got me; I've never seen anything like this before."

No sooner had Chloe finished speaking when a series of shutter clicks and accompanying light flashes went off. Neither of them was paying attention to Jimmy working with his camera, so they were a little startled by the flashes.

Clark looks at him with a perplexed expression on his face. Chloe jumps a little as she rounds on her heels to face him and, in a condescending tone, scolds him, "Jimmy!"

Jimmy immediately put the camera down, and with a look of confusion on his face addresses them. "What?" Clark looks back at the hospital bed, sees the young man is still asleep, and looks back at Jimmy; who attempts to defend his actions. "Look, this is important; we have to get this out to the papers. People need to know what's going on, we've gotta warn them about this thing."

Chloe looks bemused by his explanation and replies, "We don't even know what we're dealing with yet."

Glancing back to the x-ray; Clark chimes in, "Chloe's right. A picture showing some odd looking x-ray isn't exactly a leading candidate for a page-one feature."

Annoyed by their seeming lack of earnestness and their contrived reasoning, Jimmy responds in an irritated tone, "Yeah, well, maybe we'd have a better picture of exactly what we're dealing with if I had been there with you guys when you found him."

Clark couldn't help the frown that formed on his face; there was nothing more at the scene that Jimmy could have done to justify the irritation his voice held. Chloe looks to Clark and shrugs, and then looks at Jimmy.

"Okay, that was my call. Lois had all ready filled me in on what had happened, and she was really amped on having someone get out there to look around. I also remembered your proven track record for getting lost on our visits to the Metropolis Botanical Gardens back when we were interns."

Chloe took a minute to let that sink in before she continues. "So, I figured you wouldn't be in a hurry to get back out to the woods, you seemed to be more adept on the streets of Metropolis. Besides, Lois mentioned how freaked out you were in the woods, even before you ran across the dead body."

In response, Jimmy huffed in disgust and said, "No…no, you know what freaks me out? My partner cutting out on me only to run to my old girl with the story I'd just let her in on."

He takes a short, curt, breath, and continues, "Then I don't hear word one back from Lois. Instead, I get a call from you about you and Clark traipsing through the forest when something like that", he motions towards the bid ridden man with his camera, "can happen in an instant."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at him, you'd have thought he'd just addressed her as some deranged lunatic, "Your _old_ girl!?!?"

The gravity of what Jimmy had just blurted out suddenly hits him like a ton of bricks. Searching for some way to dig himself out of the hole he'd stepped in, and in a panicky tone, he squeaks out, "I mean, weren't you?"

From the look on her face, Clark half expected Chloe to burn a hole straight through Jimmy's head, and figured she probably would've had she been graced with heat vision. Struggling to keep her anger in check, and reminding herself that they were in a hospital, she spoke in low, measured phrases. "I…was…never…your…girl…_old_…or…otherwise…I…"

Clark had known Chloe long enough to tell when her temper was about to fly off of the charts. And although he couldn't blame her for being upset at Jimmy's callous remarks, he knew he had to put a stop to this quickly. "Guys, this really isn't the time or place to hash this out."

Chloe turned away from Jimmy and stepped next to Clark. She took in a steady, deep breath, held it for a second, and then slowly let it out. Clark reaches over and gingerly rubs her back in an effort to calm her down.

Jimmy gulped in relief, thankful that Clark had diffused the situation. "Yeah, you're right, C.K. I gotta go take care of something. So, can we sort this out later guys?"

Chloe felt her temper flare-up slightly, she looks up at Clark who gives her a small smile and nods. She took another calming breath and turned back to face Jimmy. "Okay but I think it'd be best to just let the matter drop."

The apprehensive would-be photojournalist gave a quick nod, turns, and bolts from the hospital room as if his life depends on it.

Clark chuckles lightly and as Chloe turns to look back towards him, he said, "I see I'm not the only one that adept at knowing how to royally step in it."

Chloe sighed and in a quiet, sarcastic chuckle confesses, "You should see him when he's on his 10th cup of house-drip. Then the flops, flubs, and other franchise-sized screw-ups really hit the fan."

They share a quiet laugh, which Chloe is extremely grateful for as it seems to drain away the remaining resentment Jimmy had stirred up. Clark reaches over and switches off the light board containing the unusual x-ray. Then they quietly exit the young man's hospital room, not wanting to be there when his mom returns.

As they start down the hallway, Chloe turns to him and asks, "How are your hands?"

Clark glances down at them and looks back to Chloe. "You'd never know anything had happened to them."

"That begs the leading question of the day, seeing as how not even a diamond-tipped drill can mar your kryptodermis…how did a little vine slice through it?"

"I'm not sure, but I didn't get weak, so we know it's not meteor rock."

"Well, I sent a sample of the vine to my botany professor at Metropolis University. If it's not some variant on meteor rock, what do you think it is?"

Clark put his hand on Chloe's arm as they reached where the hallway ends in a 'T' going off in two opposite directions. They stop walking and he leads her over to a corner, to speak with a little more privacy. Chloe moves so as to stand in front of him to look at him. Clark looks like he's got an idea.

"You know, there's a portion of Lone Pine Ridge that runs right up against the Luthor's land. Check this out, there's also a greenhouse that sits just back from their property line. I'd say that would be as good a place as any to start looking around."

"Okay, before you go all gung-ho on this hunch, I need to play devil's advocate here. I, of all people, realize that Lex is capable of a lot but don't you think that planting this particular pitchfork in his backyard is a little out there?"

"He had that kryptonian ship Professor Fine arrived here in locked up in one of his warehouses. Zod took used him as a vessel and almost destroyed half of the planet. As far as I'm concerned, if the horns fit…"

"Alright, I get it; I'm just saying that I know we're both a little unsettled by his domestic partnership with Lana. Just promise me one thing, not just for me but for Lana and yourself, check your personal grievances at the door before you go making accusations."

"Don't worry Chloe, I'll be careful."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

The greenhouse appears to be void of anyone as Clark arrives, but he suspects he's being watched given Lex's extensive surveillance net. Clark begins looking over plants lining a table in the middle of the greenhouse. He pauses at a particular flowering plant that also has numerous pods dangling from the stalk.

Removing one of the pods, he carefully pries it open along the outer edge. The contents of the pod bear a striking resemblance to the things that showed up on the young man's x-ray in the hospital.

The contents of the pod were much smaller than the objects on the x-ray. Clark felt certain they were the same thing though. As he looks up from the pod, Clark thought out loud, "seeds."

Just as Clark sets the pod down inside the pot that the flowering plant is potted in, Lex strolls inside the greenhouse and addresses him. "You always have had an eye for the more beautiful things in life."

Lex leisurely closes the distance between them and observes the particular plant holding Clark's attention. "This particular specimen's Latin name, _formositas falsus_, means _beauty that belies a dark nature_."

"I guess that explains why you'd have it in your greenhouse; even the plants you keep have masked intentions."

Amused, though hardly surprised, by the immediate accusation, Lex gives him a quick smile. "Well, I suppose everything boils down to the simplest of terms, survival of the fittest, doesn't it Clark?"

"I'll cut to the chase Lex, an unusual creeping plant has shown up just past the ridge at Lone Pine. This thing has been attacking people, there's a guy in the hospital right now from having a run-in with it."

Lex walks around Clark toward the entrance, but stops short of the door, regarding the other plants. Clark barely finishes his thought before Lex cuts in, annoyance clearly noted in his tone.

"So naturally you headed straight for my palace of terrors, to thwart my inventive plan to replace the world's population with vegetation." Lex works quickly to quell the sharpness from his voice.

Once satisfied that he'd calmed down he turns around to face Clark, and speaks as though he were addressing a neighbor looking to borrow a cup of sugar. "I'm sorry Clark, I'm afraid I'm fresh out of evil. I guess Lana has been a soothing influence for me."

"Lex, Lana and I went our separate ways a long while back, and I'm good with that, I've moved on. However, you're dreaming if you seriously expect her to give up who she is to blend in with your world."

Lex moves to close the distance between them. The arrogance Lex perceived in Clark's tone has allowed the annoyance he'd quelled just a moment ago to creep back into his voice. "Maybe, but as opposed to you, I'm prepared to commit to whatever's necessary so that she will."

"If you choose to keep pretending that you've had this big change of heart, that's fine Lex. Though, if you're truly being honest about having a committed relationship with Lana; then you've gotta realize that she'll get close enough to you to see past this act you're putting on."

Lex's jaw muscles tense several times as he works to keep his temper under control. Why Clark couldn't just be happy for them remained a mystery to him; as much of a mystery as Clark was to him to this day.

The only conclusion he could reach was that Clark had completely embraced the opinion Jonathan Kent had held of him for so many years. However, he remembers his promise to Lana, and takes a breath to release the tension he felt before speaking.

"I'm sorry that's how you see things Clark. Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering how you've treated all of my attempts to rebuild our friendship. Out of respect to a promise I made to Lana, I'll maintain my civility here. That said your impromptu visits are over, now seeing as you let yourself in; I'm sure you're capable of finding your way out."

Seeing that he was not going to get through to Lex, Clark leaves the greenhouse. Although unseen, Lucas has been in the back of the greenhouse all this time. He's been busy installing a dedicated security system of his own and overheard Lex and Clark's little chat. After performing one final check on the system to assure the receiver he always kept on his person worked properly, he walks out to speak with his brother.

"Lex, I see your penchant for burning bridges hasn't changed much. At least from the stories I've heard about your exploits at Excelsior."

"Friendship is tenuous at best Lucas; I would have thought you would have learned that by now."

"Oh I have Lex, but given the track record Clark Kent holds, I don't think he's someone you'd want as an enemy."

"And who says I want him as an enemy? Did our father tell you that? Don't tell me you're letting him play you again."

"Not at all Lex, this is an observation I've made all on my own accord. Dad's days of contorting events to get me to jump through hoops are long gone. Although no matter what our dad's opinion is of Clark, it doesn't change the fact that you nearly flew off the handle while addressing him just now."

"You said it Lucas, nearly, and nearly; like almost, only counts in horseshoes. Now, was there something you wanted, or is this just a social visit?"

"Little bit of both, I was out this way anyway to pay my respects at my mom's grave; you may recall it has been three years now since she passed away."

"Yes, I remember Lucas; you have my sympathies, what else was there?"

"Your sabbatical at Metropolis' warehouse district delayed this." Lucas retrieves a folded collection of forms from his jacket and hands them to Lex. "Here are the latest reports from doctors Kreig, Groll, and Casselli concerning the last series of tests on 33.1 subjects."

Lex unfolds the reports and begins scanning through the documents. However, he can tell Lucas' eyes are still on him, as though he still had more to say, so he looks up at him. "What?"

"Lex, I overheard Clark talking about this vine, or whatever it is, that's attacking people up at Lone Ridge. Now, given some of the abilities that the 33.1 subjects are exhibiting…"

"Relax Lucas, after my latest stint of captivity at the warehouse district in Metropolis; I've added additional security measures, not only at the mansion, but at the 33.1 facilities. Don't worry, I've factored in and accounted for the lessons we learned after terminating the Machina Project. Even if someone did manage to escape, the DNA tags I've had implanted in each subject would alert us. The subject would be isolated and returned long before any collateral damage could take place. We will not have a repeat of the incident involving Victor Stone, I promise you that."

"Maybe, but one thing I've learned is that there's no such thing as fool-proof security measures. Sure, you can have reactionary drills to scenarios planned out to the nth degree, and a myriad of back-up protocols in place; but..."

"So what are you suggesting Lucas, that I pull the plug on the entire operation? I don't know what you're looking for here. Your concern for security is appreciated and duly noted but as I just spoke with Dr. Groll, I can assure you, everyone currently in 33.1 is accounted for."

"For now anyway, but not even the team of specialists working on this know the full ramifications of the meteor rock therapy. What if there's an unknown side effect that could some how alter, or even block, the DNA tags you've vested so much assurances in for security."

Lex looks at Lucas as he would an over-anxious member on the board of directors for LuthorCorp.

"Look Lex, I'm just trying to cover all the bases here. I appreciate the opportunities to be cultivated for national defense from this endeavor, that's one of the reasons I signed on to work on this. And while I understand your application of Sun Tzu's methods, which have undeniable merit in producing success in business…well, let me put it this way.

Lucas takes a moment to consider the best way to convey his point. "The unknown variables in this project keep reminding me of a passage from an ancient Hindu text that says, '_Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds_'. I realize this isn't 1945's _Manhattan Project_, but the corollaries of an end game operative going rogue could pose just as serious a hazard."

Lucas leaves and Lex standing in the greenhouse, quietly considering his brother's words.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Chloe headed back to Lois' apartment to wait, while Clark had gone to check out Lex's greenhouse. As she walked into the Talon she's surprised to find one Lana Lang seated on the steps leading up the apartment. There's a box in her lap filled with an assortment of items.

"Hey Lana, what's up?"

"Hi Chloe." Lana stood up from her perch on the steps in order to close the distance between them. Chloe takes the opportunity to glance down at the box and then looks questioningly back up at her. Noticing the look of confusion, Lana quickly proffers an explanation for the parcel.

"Um, it was pretty crazy when we had to evacuate the dorms; I guess I took a few of your things by mistake."

"Oh, okay, um…thanks." While she recognizes some of the contents, others don't appear to belong to her. She's also a little perplexed as to why Lana would think to return them to her now. Unsure as to what else to do, she picks a few objects at the top of the pile and comments on them.

"Oh, wow, I was really missing this, uh...half-chewed eraser...and this is your library book, which is two weeks overdue. Lana, what's going on?"

Lana takes a deep breath, smiles, and gives Chloe a sheepish look. "I know it's pretty pathetic to bother you with this stuff. Um, I'm not sure why, but I felt like I needed some kind of an excuse to come by and talk with you."

Chloe gives her a quick smile of understanding. "Explanation accepted, come on, let's go upstairs."

As they enter the apartment, Chloe leaves the box over on a table, removes her handbag, and hangs it over one of the table's chairs. Lana shuts the door behind them and pauses to slowly look around the place that served as her home, for a time.

"It seems like it's been a lifetime since I stayed here."

Chloe lets out a light-hearted laugh and replies, "Maybe but transitioning from this place to an expansive 16th century mansion doesn't sound like too bad of a deal to me."

Lana follows her as she walks over to the kitchen and takes a seat at an ell-shaped counter. The counter doubles as a divider for the kitchen space and an eat-up to bar.

"Possibly, but even with all its rooms, the mansion's felt pretty full as of late."

Befuddled, Chloe lets out a hearty laugh at the notion that the Luthor residence could ever feel crowded. She retrieves a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator and offers one to Lana, who gratefully accepts it. While Chloe opened and took a drink from her bottle, Lana only studies the one in her hand. A moment later Lana looks up from the bottle, embarrassed by going off in thought, and opens it to a drink as she continues.

"Although I've repeatedly made it explicitly clear that our relationship is over with, Lex seems convinced that I'm dragging Clark's ghost around with me."

"And our narcissistic billionaire didn't figure on entering into a relationship that included a ghost as baggage, right?"

"Something like that…Chloe, I have this terrible feeling. I feel like if I commit to the kind of relationship Lex is looking for, I'm afraid that I'll to lose who I am. I'll simply be what all the papers are calling me, '_The Next Lex Girl_'."

"Well, Lana, if you don't trust him now, then committing yourself to a serious relationship won't cause that dynamic to change."

"It's just I keep blaming my trust issues on everyone else. And the truth is the person that I don't trust is myself. I keep..." Lana laughs quietly, remains quiet for a second to organize her thoughts, and finding them continues speaking. "I haven't always made the right decisions. And by the time I recognize those wrong ones, I'm too far gone to dig myself out of the mess I'm in."

Chloe looked down to study her bottle of water for a moment, and then looked back up to speak. "Lana, I can't stand here and tell you if Lex is the right guy for you or not; ultimately that's a decision you have to make. But there's one thing, since I've been romantically involved with Clark, that I can tell you. You can't just sit safely on the shore and watch all the blissful people splashing around. I mean, sometimes the quickest way to remember how to swim is just to dive in."

"Thanks Chloe, I appreciate the advice. The other reason I came by was about Clark. When he stopped by the mansion trying to find Lex, he passed on the good news about you two. I'm really sorry for not having been by or called to talk to you about it, it's just…"

"Hey, I get it Lana, I imagine even minus the craziness of trying to define your relationship with Lex; just getting things back to a semblance of normalcy would be a priority. Honestly, I've regretted not being there to tell you about us too. It's just, after everything that's happened I didn't want it to look like…"

"You don't need to apologize Chloe; Clark and I are ancient history. Even before we officially called it off, it seemed like we'd drifted so far apart, that we might as well have been from different planets. To tell you the truth, I wasn't too surprised when he told me that you two were together."

"Aww, come on Lana, you had to have been a little surprised. I mean, it was always obvious to everyone around here that Clark was in love with you. Okay, almost everyone, Clark was on the low side of slow to drop the moniker of you two being 'just friends'. You should have heard Lois right before our graduation; she figured she had Clark's future all mapped out."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope, she had Clark attending community college with a major in agriculture, and minor in law enforcement. Then you and he were going to have a typical, small town church wedding."

"Don't tell me, she saw the minor in law enforcement as being needed so he could head up Smallville's Community Watch Program, right?"

"Wait it gets better! Lois said that he'd also join the local bowling league, take over the farm, and by that time, you two were going to have Clark junior in the oven."

"Wow, it sounds like Lois was doing a pretty poor impersonation of Cassandra Carver."

"Well, you're close; Lois told me a while back that she took one of these career assessments in a magazine. The assessment recommended she pursue a career as a radio disc jockey. You know, that's actually a pretty good evaluation now that I think about it. The way Lois can ramble on about things, you could guarantee that there'd never be any dead air."

"Yeah, except when the FCC would have to step in to censor her rants. You've heard her in the past when somebody gets her worked up. There's no question she was raised living on army bases. If the FCC thought George Carlin's seven words were bad, wait until they hear Lois!"

"Well, if Howard Stern is able to get away with it, I'm sure Lois would find a way to succeed. You know Lois, once she gets it into her head to do something…"

"Yeah, good luck to the person that's in her way."

"All joking aside, sorry, I still run to my attempts at humor as a defense mechanism; are we okay? There's a lot of water under the bridge, over the dam, or wherever the water goes between all of us. Having played the sounding board for Clark for so long, it's no secret that your relationship with him has had more up-and-downs than a roller-coaster. I don't know, I guess I've felt like the third wheel for so long I…"

"Chloe, you can stop beating yourself up, okay?! A long while back we made an agreement, remember? We said we'd define ourselves by what we do, not who we date. Or don't date."

Chloe takes a sip of water and does a quick scan of her memory. "Yeah, that seems to ring a bell. As I recall it was back during the fiasco caused by Allison Sanders, a.k.a. Desiree Atkins, incident. Didn't we come up with that as way to keep Clark from affecting our friendship? I guess some things don't change over time."

"That's my point Chloe; I haven't forgotten how much you and your dad helped me out through high school, especially when I went about getting emancipated from Aunt Nell. You've been very much like a sister to me ever since then, and I don't want that to change; especially over who we are or are not dating."

Lana pauses to take a drink of water and continues. "You've given me a lot to think about in regards to Lex, but you can put your mind at ease about Clark. While I agree that we played the 'together then not together' game longer than necessary, I assure you it's a game we've retired from permanently."

Giving Chloe a reassuring smile, she continues, "I may have been a cheerleader in high school Chloe, but that doesn't mean I miss everything."

With a confused look on her face, Chloe asks, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that even when Clark and I were together, I was felt he was more at ease opening up to you."

"Lana…"

"No, don't misunderstand me, I'm not blaming you or saying that you were the reason why Clark and I did not work."

"Then what?"

"I'm saying, I think that's what will make your relationship with Clark work. Beyond that, you two have this…I don't even know how to put it into words…but there's a trust there that anyone can see. So, what do you say, do we renew our pact on friendship?"

"Cool." Both laugh, lean across the counter, and give each other a hug.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Back up at Lone Pine, Jimmy is determined to find out more about what's going on. Okay, so Chloe had a valid point about him getting lost in the Metropolis Botanical Gardens a few years back. That was different; after all it was the first time he'd been to that place.

Besides it wasn't like he was out traipsing around the woods mindlessly. He and Lois had apparently been close to running across the missing guy, but since it was so dark, seeing him in the thicket Chloe described would have been a one in a million chance.

Then again, it also helped that the emergency personnel had worn down the foliage pretty well when they took the guy to the hospital. He made his way towards where Clark and Chloe found the guy, he'd stop periodically to take pictures of the surroundings.

After getting a round of photos taken along the way, an errant moss covered log just off the trail catches his eye. Allowing the camera to dangle from its strap around his neck, he walks over to pick up his find. Studying the misshapen breaks on either end of it, he's startled by a loud thud, and drops the log.

Suddenly wishing he hadn't took off into the woods on his own, Jimmy's breathing quickens of its own accord. Looking around he hears small limbs being broken, and twigs on the ground being snapped as though they were being stepped on. Jimmy starts toward the sounds when he picks up on a noise coming from behind him.

He holds his breath and turns around to head in that direction, only to find Gloria standing right behind him with a grin on her face. Shocked by her sudden appearance, Jimmy nearly falls flat on his back as he takes a couple of stumbling steps backwards, but miraculously manages to keep his balance. Clenching a hand over his heart, which is beating at a hundred miles an hour, he starts breathing again in relief.

"Ah jeez, you scared the living daylights out of me."

"Sorry, guess I figured I would be the only person that felt safe being out here on my own right now."

"No…no…I would not use the word safe to describe how I feel right now. More like…obligated."

"And why is that?"

"Murder…a photo…a girl…hope…some measure of respect I guess. The guy that was out with the girl that was killed was just found the other day but he's in the hospital, and hasn't said anything about what happened. I'm a photojournalist; I'm out here to try to figure out what's going on. Hopefully that'll be enough to earn me the respect of a girl I care about."

Gloria closes the distance between them and gets, what can be described as, an almost hungry look on her face: "Well, I can assure you, you have my utmost respect."

Jimmy manages a nervous laugh in reply, "Says the girl who made me drop that log. Look, is there any chance you've seen this weird looking vine with an affinity for people?"

Gloria reached up, caressed the side of his face, and lets her hand linger on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can help you find what you're looking for."

"Uh, I don't know about this. It's not what I meant...I uh..." Gloria softly massages his shoulder, which does little to improve Jimmy's ability to construct a cohesive thought, and looks him straight in the eye. The gaze dulls the haze for the aspiring photojournalist, and allowed him to utter a reply he hoped would get him out of this mess.

"Well…um…you know…I think I'm close to having a girl all ready, so…" Gloria cuts him off by putting both hands on his chest, and exhibiting little effort, she pushes him down to the ground. Jimmy instinctively grabs hold of his camera to prevent it from being damaged as he lands on his back with a small thud.

"I'll cut to the chase; I'm not looking for a long term relationship." Somewhat in shock from how easily this girl threw him to ground, Jimmy's too slow to react. She kneels down to the ground beside him, and with one hand on his shoulder, the other on his chest, Gloria pins him in place.

"Well…then I don't get it…what are you doing?"

"Simple really, I'm gonna give you what you're looking for."

A sly grin appears on her face as she looks away from Jimmy to the ground. A myriad of vines, just like the ones that shrouded the young man Clark and Chloe found earlier, grow from the ground and wrap themselves tightly around Jimmy.

Gloria stands back out of the way and watches in delight as the vines form a cocoon around him. Unable to move he does the only thing he can do, scream for all he's worth. However, the vines take advantage of his shouting to cut off his airway, and deposit their allotment of seeds within him.

Far from the woods at Lone Pine, the one person Jimmy originally called-in to research this story with him; Lois had anything but Lone Pine on her mind. A quick Google search on the internet had turned up Oliver Queen's address in Metropolis. Lois was bound and determined to make-up for having cost Mrs. Kent the meeting with the young CEO.

Lois cursed herself up and down all the way there for being so inept. She was well aware that Oliver Queen had been working to schedule a meeting with Mrs. Kent. Yet with all the time she'd put in on researching the article for the Inquisitor, she guessed she'd either missed seeing the meeting had been set. Or maybe Mrs. Kent had finalized the details for the meeting personally, and she'd somehow just missed the memo about that.

Lois thanked her lucky stars that Mrs. Kent hadn't fired her on the spot for her blunder. She hadn't told Mrs. Kent that she was going to see Oliver, she'd dressed in a professional business suit, which itched like crazy, man did she hate wool, and said that she had to complete some errands in Metropolis. Lois figured that was true enough, and planned to have a new appointment for Mrs. Kent set-up by the time she returned to Smallville.

An attractive young blonde woman in a formal navy-blue business suit was seated behind a desk as Lois entered the front lobby. Not in any mood to be deterred by anyone, Lois only nodded in acknowledgement to the lady and made her way past the desk, and through the door leading to Oliver's office. The assistant immediately got up from her desk and hurried after Lois. She caught up with her in the hallway just as Lois was turning the corner past a wall lined with bookshelves.

"Miss, I'm sorry but you'll have to wait to be announced. Miss!" Lois continues to ignore the assistant and heads on into the penthouse office area. Not wanting to be thought lax in her duties, the young assistant runs ahead of Lois to offer an explanation to her boss.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Queen. This woman does not have an appointment scheduled to see you."

Oliver's in the middle of a handstand on an orange exercise mat laid out just a few feet behind his desk. Not bothering to stand up immediately from the position he's in, he simply addresses his assistant.

"It's okay; I've been expecting Miss Lane to pay us a visit."

Eager to get her apology over with, Lois crossed the room and placed a fancifully wrapped fruit-basket at the foot of the exercise mat. Oliver slightly grunts as he first lowers his right foot to the ground, followed quickly by his left, and promptly turned around to face his visitors.

Grinning an undoubtedly practiced, huge, possum grin he nods to his assistant, and waves to her that she can go. She returns his grin with a small one, nods, and turns on her heels to return to her desk. Lois looks him over and briefly before starting into her spiel.

"Wow, looks like I sold the whole metal abilities from yoga short."

"Well, I find the concentration avails a competitive advantage for me; in my line of work."

"And it seems to bolster your intuition as well."

"Ha-ha, your showing up here hardly required intuition of any sort. After your unfortunate gaffe, I figured you'd turn up or get summarily dismissed, right?"

Lois opens her mouth to say something in response, but stops herself short. Oliver leans over, picks up the fruit basket, and walks over to his desk to examine the contents as he continues speaking.

"Still, I've gotta tell you, I didn't see the fruit basket playing into things, nice touch."

Lois tugged the bottom of her jacket down, walked around to his desk, and collected her thoughts. "Yes, Mr. Queen, I surmise that you're very busy with your exercise regimen, so I'll be brief…" Oliver cuts her off mid-sentence by holding an item from the gift basket out to her.

"Would you care for some peanuts? I have to avoid nuts because of my allergies."

Not quite sure what to say, Lois offers a smile in response, and then adds; "I'll try and remember that." She takes the can of peanuts from him and starts over.

"Look, Martha Kent is an exemplary Senator, and…" Lois falters a little here as it appears that Oliver isn't paying her the least bit of attention, rather he is continuing to sift through the contents of the gift basket. Yet, Lois being Lois, quickly recovers, and recalling her train of thought, starts back up again.

"Um, I would be devastated if…" However, Oliver disrupts her plea again, this time by offering her a green apple. Perplexed as to this gesture, she tries to figure out what fault he found with something as simple as an apple. Her mind, for some unknown reason immediately jumps to Halloween.

"Okay, um, bad experience bobbing for apples…no wait, you once found a worm in an apple, right?"

Oliver smiles at the questions, looks at the apple, and then looks back her "you hungry?" Lois lets out a huff settles on looking down as a reply. Deciding to have a little more fun with his guest, Oliver throws a little sarcastic tone into his voice.

"No, you sure? Okay, suit yourself." He then takes a seat and rests his feet up on the desk.

Lois could feel her patience wearing thin, and she thought trying to talk to Clark was taxing. Working to remain civil, she decides to try cutting to the chase. "Look, I understand that I was very rude the other day, and I'm just trying to make amends here."

Oliver leans forward to grab a knife from the desk, leans back in the chair, diligently cuts off a slice of apple and eats it quietly. Still refusing to give up, Lois tries again.

"If you hold this against Martha Kent, you'll be doing a disservice not only to her but to yourself. You'll be passing up the chance to work with a representative for the people of Kansas." Oliver still refuses to look at Lois, instead he leisurely cuts off another slice of apple.

Deciding she's done all she can be tactful; Lois decides this guy isn't worth Martha Kent's time, and tells him what she thinks of him. "Right. Well, I guess I was rashly correct in my judgment about you."

She turns and walks away from Oliver's desk back towards the hallway leading out to the lobby. Seeing that she's run out of gas, Oliver decides to speak up to keep her from leaving. He likes her well enough, but doesn't want to make this _too_ easy for her. After all, he couldn't let this lady be the ruin of his reputation.

"Hold on a second Miss Lane." Lois stops in her tracks as Oliver sets the knife and apple aside. Getting up from the chair, he stretches, and then walks over to her. "If you really want my full and undivided attention, why don't you accompany me to the Dark Thursday benefit Lex Luthor's hosting."

Now onto his little game, Lois shoots him a quick smile. "While I'm sure parading me around to your wealthy friends for the night would be a great thrill for you, I'm afraid I'll have to decline." Lois turns around to leave, only to be stopped in her tracks by an offer from Oliver.

"If Senator Kent's as unbelievable as you make her out to be, you're gonna have to do better than a few measly moments of kowtowing to persuade me to support her."

Appearing to be at an impasse, they stand there regarding each other for a moment. Taking a deep sigh, Lois thinks she's thought up an excuse for his invitation, and breaks the silence. "You do know that it's a costumed ball, and seeing as how I wasn't planning on going, I did not get a costume."

Oliver rolls his eyes at her with a smirk and nods. "Hmm…you don't have a costume?" He then turns around; walks back to his desk, and retrieves a white box adorned with a rather ornate white bow and ribbon.

Upon noticing the package, Lois quickly putting two and two together, walks over to him. "Oh yeah, the whole mental abilities bit again."

Oliver, wanting to play this out as much as possible, sets the box down in front of her at the corner of the desk. "Here you are ma'am."

"Right…here goes nothing." Lois lifts the top off the box, sits it to the side, and finds an exquisite royal blue gown with white accents and gold trim inside. It's a dress one might expect to have seen worn by ladies of stature during the time of Richard the Lionheart. She quickly glances at the gown's label and looks questioningly back up at Oliver.

"Okay, having a costume ready is one thing, having one in my size? Mr. Queen, have you been checking up on me?" She manages a quick laugh and waits for an answer.

"Not so much, no, I've just always been good at sizing people up." Then with a wink he adds, "And I had ample opportunity to look you over when you mistook me for a courier."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

After a call to Chloe, informing her about what he'd found at Lex's greenhouse, Clark suggests they regroup at the Smallville Medical Center. Walking through the hospital lobby, on their way to the young man's room, Chloe fills him in on what she's been able to dig up.

"So, your hunch was right on the money. The pods inside the guy we found out in the woods are seeds. They have him scheduled to go into surgery within the hour."

"Okay, that's a start, have you heard anything from your biology professor at Metropolis University?"

"Yeah, he was able to break down the DNA, although he could not classify the genus. This thing is definitely not from around here, or anywhere on this world, which accounts for why you were injured from its thorns."

"Wait a minute; we're talking about an alien plant now? So, how would it have gotten here?"

"You've got me Clark, but while the soil chemistry here isn't conducive for it to reproduce, the physiology of a human being offers an ideal environment."

Rounding the corner they were brought to a stop just a few feet from the young man's room by the sound of a woman screaming. Moments later a nurse rushes from the room and grabs an orderly in the hall.

"Find his mother; we've got a code red."

The orderly nods in reply and takes off in one direction while the nurse runs in another direction past Clark and Chloe. As soon as she's gone, they hurry on into the young man's room, and the sight before them causes them to stop in their tracks. Vines, just like the ones in the forest, have erupted from the young man's chest. The vines have spread throughout the room, up the walls, and crisscrossed the ceiling.

"Oh my god, Clark…"

Not wanting to impede the hospital's staff, they head back towards the lobby. Clark glances over to Chloe with a determined look set on his face.

"I know Chloe…we've got to find a way to stop it."

"No, not an 'it' Clark, this plant has a gender, 'she'. My professor also identified it as being a dioecious, specifically a gynoecious; which means the plant only produces female flowers and has to seek out male pollen."

"That explains why she kept the guy alive, she needed the chemistry make-up of a living male to replicate. The girl was of no use to her and since she'd seen what happened, this thing just decided to kill her."

Stopping just past the corner, they see a couple of emergency medical technicians escorting a gurney carrying a body bag. One of technicians calls out as they reach where Clark and Chloe are standing, and move to make turn in order to head up the hallway.

"Excuse us folks, coming through."

A doctor walks towards the group from a counter, retrieves a clipboard from the end of the gurney, and as he scans it asks, "What have you got?"

"A hunter ran across this park ranger's body near the Lone Pine area this morning."

The doctor returns the clipboard to the gurney and walks away. The group starts off again but Clark walks over to stop them.

"Hold on just a second, I ran into a park ranger up at Lone Pine, I can ID her."

One of the technicians unzips the body bag, revealing a young blonde haired woman. Her face is badly bruised and covered with multiple scrapes and cuts. Clark looks up to the group, "I'm sorry, there must be some sort of mistake. That's not the lady I ran into up at Lone Pine."

The technician closes the body bag and looks at Clark, "I'm afraid she is son, we found her identification still on her. Selena Adams, 28 years old, she was reported as having disappeared about a week ago. Ms. Adams is the only woman working on the park ranger staff in this county." Clark nods in understanding and the technician turns to motion for the other technicians waiting at the back of the gurney to get going.

As Clark turns around to look at Chloe, the realization of what's going on hits them at the same time. "Gloria."

"Chloe, I'm going back out to Lone Point to track her down and try to stop her."

"Okay, I'll stay here to keep tabs on the guy that's sprouted. Be careful Clark; remember you're not immune to these vines."

Clark gives her a reassuring smile and speeds off from the hospital. Chloe heads back towards the vine covered patient's room. Just as she enters the doorway, one of the vines weaves its way into a power outlet mounted in an electrical box alongside a series of switches. Almost immediately a series of sparks and smoke shoot from the box, causing her to take a step back.

Behind and above Chloe, a few light fixtures go out from the sudden loss of power, and she glances up as the immediate area around hallway darkens as a result. Noticing the vine that caused the short circuit has ceased its advance; she tentatively reaches out and grabs the darkened plant.

Applying just a minute amount of force, a small section easily breaks off in her hand. Studying the broken piece more carefully, Chloe tries compressing it, and finds the vine crumbles to ashen dust. Realizing she's found the plant's weakness, Chloe turns to head for her car in hopes that she can find Clark before he finds Gloria.

At that moment, in the woods up at Lone Pine, Clark's frantically searching through the forest, and calling out for the alien posing as a park ranger. Clark stops as he passes a large thicket of limbs that appear to have recently been stacked in a pile, and turning around finds Gloria standing there. A mischievous grin spreads across her face as she addresses him.

"Look who's here, I was hoping that we would run into each other again."

"Small world isn't it. Tell me something, just what are you exactly?"

"Me? I'm a girl that loves nature; I guess you could say I love nature to death."

"That's no answer, whatever you are, you're not from around here. I know you're responsible for what happened to the guy in the hospital. And from the way you dealt with his girlfriend, I'd say you're not even from anywhere on this world."

"Well, you're right about that, but this is definitely a place I can get used to."

"Look, I don't know where you're from, but you need to go back there…now!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that Clark. See, the planet I'm from no longer exists. You should have seen it; at one time the world was pure heaven. Everywhere you looked you saw examples of how luscious, fervent, and thriving it was."

The grin that had remained on Gloria's face suddenly faded. "However, spires of steel soon took the place of the world's woodlands, thus throwing the natural balance of things out of kilter. So I took measures to try and restore the order that had been tampered with."

"Let me guess, by 'taking measures to restore order', you used the same methods that you're using here? Just how many lives have to be sacrificed to restore this 'balance' you're after?"

"You sound just like those that persecuted me; they didn't see what I was trying to do. Instead of listening to me, they labeled me a threat to all the worlds' inhabitants. They sent me to a barren wilderness where the days are endless and it's impossible to grow anything."

"It sounds like you're talking about The Phantom Zone."

Gloria narrows her eyes at him as the realization of who he is hits her. "I knew it, you're the Kryptonian that was taken to the gateway, and you're the one that opened it."

"Hold on a second, how would you know that?"

"Simple, I was imprisoned there. The girl that led you to the gateway was fighting with the savages."

"Raya."

"I saw you touch the gateway's marker just before everything went white. It would seem that I'm not the only uninvited guest on this planet."

"Look, I've learned how to fit in here; you can do the same thing."

"Clark, what does it look like I'm trying to do now?" Gloria turns her attention away from him, and focuses on some unseen point of interest off in the distance. "There's a banquet going on not far from here chalked full of suitable supplicants waiting on me." Pausing to take in a deep breath, a look akin to hunger passes her face and she continues, "You can almost smell them, like a luscious feast waiting to be savored."

"Gloria, you need to stop this right now!"

"Why, because you say so?"

Suddenly a group of vines ensnare Clark, dragging him back to the pile of limbs behind him. Before he can react, vines encircle his arms, feet, and neck; pinning him to the thicket of branches.

"You don't understand, I can't alter my cellular makeup, self-preservation through reproduction is what I am. I may have been forced into dormancy once, but I'm free of that state of being and I don't intend to go back to it."

For good measure, Gloria secures Clark in place with the help of one more subservient root. The compliant vegetative offshoot, which looks more like a spear than your run-of-the-mill creeper, pierces his back and passes completely through his chest. Satisfied that the Kryptonian nuisance will cause her no further difficulty, Gloria leaves him with a smile as she departs in search of more fertile potting mix for her seeds.

Still not one to give up easily, Clark continues struggling against the vines. While working to get some slack in the restraints, he catches Jimmy out of the corner of his eye. He's entombed in a thicket of Gloria's vines and apparently unconscious. Despite his best efforts, Clark's struggles prove to be in vain. Although the vines are not meteor rock, the work he's put into trying to free himself has drained his strength, and he soon loses consciousness.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

The main hall inside the Luthor mansion is filled with a plethora of people in all manner of regalia. There are folks dressed as court jesters, peasants, princesses, matadors, soldiers from the civil war and the revolutionary war, and some are even dressed like members of the three musketeers.

A spot light from the back pans across the attendees, moves up to the house band seated on a stage, which is situated back against the stained glass windows in the hall. The meandering light rests on the lead singer for _The All-American Rejects_, Tyson Ritter, who's seated at a piano.

"Good evening and welcome to the first annual fundraiser for all those affected by the events of Dark Thursday. On behalf of Lex Luthor, we offer our thanks to everyone for generously donating from your finances to helping out the families hit the hardest by this tragedy. You guys are the best."

The spot light moves away to resume its random scanning of the hall as the stage lights are brought on. As the band begins playing '_It Ends Tonight_', some of the attendees begin dancing, others are loitering around tables spread throughout the hall with various entrees, and still others mingle about the expansive area. There are also several waiters posted throughout the hall, some are waiting to assist guests if needed, and others are carrying serving trays with glasses of wine.

Lex, dressed up like a gladiator from the times of Mark Antony, makes his way through the crowd, stopping every so often to greet his guests. Although trying to play the part of a courteous host, he's still keeping a watchful eye out for Lana. After the way the ended their last discussion, her attendance was a large question mark in his mind.

At the main entrance to the hall, a myriad of photographers snap pictures of the guests as they arrive. It is as Lex is passing near the entrance that his query is finally answered. Casually glancing toward the entrance, a camera's flash makes him do a double-take. Lana, wearing a costume very reminiscent of Cleopatra, enters the hall. She quickly scans the room for Lex, finds him, and meets Lex's grinning gaze while walking to him.

"So you decided to attend after all, I'm pleased to see you here."

"It took a little time for me to think it through, but here I am."

"Considering how our last conversation ended, I thought I'd probably scared you off."

"Sorry to disappoint you. I guess you need to work on your intimidation techniques." After exchanging goofy-grins with one another, Lex motions for them to circulate amongst their guests.

Lois and Oliver leave a group of guests, where they had stopped momentarily to visit with a few business associates Oliver recognized. As they walked past the band, Lois gives Oliver a detailed once-over, dressed up in a costume that very much resembles an Errol Flynn era 'Robin Hood'. Lois is wearing the costume Oliver provided for her.

"So tell me Mr. Queen, is all of this part and parcel to the process you're using to evaluate me?"

"To tell you the truth Miss Lane, that was quite the faux pas on my part."

"That's funny; I was going to say the same thing about the leggings you're wearing."

"You certainly have a unique approach in how you express your thoughts in verse. If it were any other woman, I'd say having such a sharp tongue would be wholly distasteful; but with you I see it as an alluring quality."

"Whoa there, control yourself, mister tall, dark, and green. So tell me, is your affluence along the lines of the 'built-from-the-ground-up', you know, 'strike-while-the-iron-is-hot' sort of a deal; or was it gift-wrapped for you like our follicle-challenged host?"

"Actually, my parents are the ones responsible for amassing our family's wealth. Then, uh, I inherited the money…after they passed away."

Lois quickly swallows a huge lump that had formed as a result of Oliver's answer to her question. However, Lois, manages to keep her emotions in check and fires back an unrelated smart-alec remark.

"Okay, don't go getting big-headed about this…your ego is inflated enough as it is…but I've gotta say that the tights…they're really working for you."

Just as she finishes her back handed complement, Lex and Lana walk-up. Having caught Lois' remark, Lex interjects with, "You should see him prancing around in a tutu."

Oliver nods at Lana and then addresses Lex directly, "If it isn't our illustrious host himself...and he's even got a girl with him that doesn't appear to be of the 'call-girl' variety. Will wonders ever cease."

Lex manages to brush off Oliver's remark with a laugh and moves on to the cursory introductions. "Lana Lang, this is Oliver Queen, he and I were classmates at Excelsior Academy."

"Speaking of which, that reminds me Lex, have you kept in touch with any of the ole gang?"

Lucas, dressed simply, though hardly inexpensively, in black slacks, shirt, formal jacket, and obligatory fancy shoes; made his way over to the group. He'd kept an eye on Lex when he saw him go over to speak with Oliver. While he knew there would undoubtedly be a reckoning between the two, this was hardly the time or place to have that play out. So, he decided to play the helpful mediator and quell the confrontation he saw brewing.

"Excuse me folks, Lex, I'm sorry to interrupt. I've been doing my best to entertain a Mr. Simon Westcott and his wife, Candice. However, even I have my limits when it comes to the intricacies of the oil industry, and they'd very much appreciate a moment of your time."

He pauses to give a polite smile to Lana, Oliver, and Lois. Then he continues addressing Lex, "Also, there's a Congressman Clayton here that's been asking to speak with you. I've done my best to placate them with assurances that you're doing your best to speak with all your guests. Still, you know some people can be quite needy in regards to addressing their host when they feel they've contributed a sizeable sum."

Lex gives a quick nod to Lucas and then returns his attention Oliver. "Sorry, I'm going to have to cut this little reunion short. Please enjoy the party." Lana and he then cut through between Lois and Oliver to see to Mr. and Mrs. Westcott. Yet, Oliver cannot help but have the last word in things, especially when it comes to dealing with Lex, so as they are cutting through he says; "Don't worry Lex, I always make the most of any party."

Lex makes no further reply and reveals no hint of emotion on his face as he and Lana continue on their way. However, Lana cannot help noticing the underlying hostility between the two. She leans up to Lex's ear and says, "If he's what I can expect when we run into anymore of your 'friends', then I never want to meet someone that's an enemy."

"So Oliver, are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend, or do I need to make an appointment?"

"Sorry about that Lucas, this Lois Lane. Lois, this is Lucas Luthor."

"Nice to meet you Lucas, and just so you know, the only place I'm Oliver's girlfriend is in his dreams."

"Ouch, looks like you've got a challenge on your hands Oliver."

"Lucas, you have no idea, and please, don't get her started."

"So Lucas, I wasn't aware that Lex had a brother, I mean I knew about him having a younger brother, Julian, but I believe he died when he was just a baby."

"That's correct, and technically I'm not Lex's brother, I'm Lex's half-brother. My mom was a lady by the name of Rachel Dunleavy, who served as a Lillian's homecare nurse during her last days."

"I'm sorry, you said _was_?"

"_Lois!_"

"No, it's okay Oliver. Yes, you see my mom passed away a couple of years ago."

Once again, Lois found that her big mouth had led her into another awkward situation. Still, as she had been getting so much practice in inadvertently making a fool of herself, she used an out that was proving effective; thus far anyway – she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh…I'm sorry for your loss…I didn't mean to…"

Lois was saved from further babbling in her well intention, but poorly thought out apology, by the approach of one Lionel Luthor. Lionel's costume is that of an English king from the late 12th century, akin to what one might expect King Richard I to have worn. As she was the first to see him, from where she was standing in the group, Lois took the opportunity to greet him.

"Mr. Luthor, nice to see you this evening."

"Ah yes, Miss Lane isn't it, I do hope you are enjoying the festivities this evening. Oliver, glad you could make it. Lucas, good to see you here too, son."

Before he could get involved in the rudimentary 'small talk', the receiver for the security system he'd set up in Lex's greenhouse buzzed him. Lucas inconspicuously pressed the button on the small receiver on his belt to stop it's alert. Wanting to see what was going on personally, but not draw undue attention to himself, Lucas made the precursory departing comments to the group.

"Dad, always a distinct pleasure to see you. Lois, it was nice meeting you. Oliver, good luck holding on to this one, she appears to be a real firecracker. I'd be careful if I were you." Lucas shoots Lois a quick grin and gives her a wink in jest. "If you'll all excuse me, I'd best check on Congressman Clayton, enjoy the evening."

"Tell me, Oliver, did you ever get around to talking to Lex?"

"As a matter of fact I did, Lois and I just spoke to he and Lana Lang a few minutes ago."

"Mr. Luthor, have you seen Senator Kent here this evening? I've been trying to keep an eye out for her since we arrived in order to introduce her to Oliver."

"Certainly my dear, if you'll follow me, she's just over here."

Not waiting for Oliver to say anything, one way or the other, she grabs him by the arm. The group makes their way through the crowded hall towards one of the tables adorned with a wide variety of entrée items. Lois spots Martha, dressed in an elegant red gown, standing on the far side of the table, and disregarding Lionel, calls out to get her attention.

"Senator Kent! Hey, I've been trying to find you ever since we arrived." She suddenly remembers Lionel, and in an effort to look courteous continues, "Fortunately, we ran into Mr. Luthor, and he was kind enough to lead us over to where you were."

Lionel smiles and nods, wordlessly, to the group.

"Now, I am happy to introduce you to Oliver Queen. Mr. Queen, Senator Kent."

Martha smiles her always accommodating and gracious smile as she offers her hand to Oliver, who takes it in greeting. "Mr. Queen, I'm grateful to finally get to meet you."

"Mrs. Kent, it's a pleasure for me as well. Lois has had my ear this evening, explaining the details regarding your office's tenets. I would very much like to meet with you and discuss how I can be of assistance to you."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Queen. I'm grateful for the opportunity to meet with you."

"Well, all the credit goes Lois. She has a way of getting her points across very convincingly."

Martha glances over at Lois with a questioning look, but says nothing. Lois' only reply is to look at Oliver and then back at Martha with a small grin on her face.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Having made it back to Lone Pine, Chloe's closing in on the spot where she and Clark found the young man earlier. She'd tried his cell phone several times once she was on the highway, but all she got was his voice mail. Not seeing any sign of him around, Chloe begins shouting out for him and keeps running through the woods.

"Clark! Clark, I'm gonna need some help here! Come on Clark, I know you can hear me! Clark, where in the world are you?! Clark!"

Reaching a small clearing, she stops as she thought she heard something. Looking to her right, Chloe makes out a large pile of limbs intermixed with vines, and can barely make out a strained voice coming from it. "_Chloe…Chloe…_" She bolts for the pile and as she gets around the other side, sees Clark embedded in the thicket.

"Oh god, Clark!" She quickly glances at the stun gun she's brought with her, says a silent prayer for this to work, and runs up to the pile of vines. Using her left hand, she grasps onto one of the vines for support, and reaches up with her right to get the stun gun as close as she can to the vine that's impaled Clark.

She fires off the stun gun and jams it on to the protrusion. Electricity arcs and travels like wildfire through the mass of vegetation, causing them to wildly recede as they shrivel up into nothingness. Chloe instinctively steps back so as to not be hit by one of the dieing plants.

The vines that were holding Clark's arms and legs in place, as well as the one that had impaled him, turn to dust; allowing him to fall to the ground. Chloe's immediately by his side, helping him to sit up. She focuses on the bloody splotch on his shirt. Checking for a wound, she finds his chest has all ready healed.

"Clark, wake up! Wake up Clark! Come on, I'm not going to lose you twice in a month!"

Clark coughs and groans a little as he works to catch his breath.

"Clark, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute to get my bearings straight. How did you kill those vines?"

"A refresher in biology while I was at the hospital. One of the vines crept into an electrical outlet and poof! The electricity from the outlet denatured the enzymes and turned the plant to dust."

"Jimmy's here, we've gotta help him."

"Jimmy? I thought he would've learned his lesson the last time he was out here."

"He's over there, in that thicket of vines. Gloria took off towards the mansion, she's after the Dark Thursday Benefit guests."

"Then you'd better hurry Clark, I'll get an ambulance out here for Jimmy."

"Chloe, I can get him to a hospital faster than an ambulance. It's my fault Gloria's even here, I…"

"Clark, would you just, GO!"

Clark knows better than to press a discussion when Chloe's made up her mind, so he takes off towards the Luthor estate.

Inside the greenhouse on the Luthor estate, a man dressed up like 'Tarzan', but with as much booze he's consumed, acting more like 'George of the Jungle' is attempting to have a conversation with Gloria.

"So, _hick-up_ me, Tarzan, and you, park ranger, _hick-up_ we all love the woods."

"Yes, and we love to travel through the woods by swinging on vines."

Clark speeds into the greenhouse, and breaks up the interlude between Gloria and the hapless guy about to be used for miracle grow. "I'm afraid all the vines in this jungle have been cut."

Annoyed by the unwelcomed visitor, the inebriated 'Tarzan', takes a wobbly step towards Clark. "Hey…hey…hey…_hick-up_…who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm the caretaker around here, now take a hike!"

Too sauced to put up any kind of an argument, the man mockingly salutes Clark and leaves the greenhouse. After 'Tarzan' had left the building, Gloria sighs in frustration and addresses Clark.

"Different planet but some things never change. You Kryptonians have always been heartless, malevolent, and cold."

"We've got a serious problem to deal with, Gloria. I can't send you home and you've all ready shown me that there's no way for you to stay here. What do you suggest we do to resolve the situation?"

"I suppose the only fair thing to do is to let nature run its course."

Gloria backhands Clark and sends him flying across the room. He takes out several light fixtures hanging from the ceiling before he crashes into a collection of potted plants. Several heavy insulated wires than ran power to the lights also fall to the ground, throwing out sparks. Gloria slowly walked around the perimeter of the greenhouse, and slowly headed for where Clark landed.

It took Lucas a little longer than he expected to take his leave from Congressman Clayton. However, Lex and Lana soon arrived to play the role of responsible hosts and Lucas quickly left the benefit. He ran into the would-be 'Tarzan' while taking the path to the greenhouse. The man wasn't making any coherent sense to Lucas, he just mumbled something about '_vines are cut, Tarzan leave_'. Lucas stopped just outside the greenhouse when he heard a loud crash from inside.

Not sure what he was going to face, Lucas crouched down and quietly made his way inside the greenhouse. Upon entering he found the place to be a mess, heavy wires were sparking all over the place, though he was in no danger from them as they were heavily insulated. Only by coming into contact with the electricity arcing at the end of the wires would one get hurt.

From the remaining lights in the greenhouse, Lucas could make out a woman in a park ranger uniform. He also saw Clark at the end of the greenhouse, down just a few yards from where he was. The unknown woman was leisurely making her way towards Clark. She paused in the middle of the room and he heard her address Clark.

"I appreciate the fact that you rescued me from my exile to the Phantom Zone, but there's just no other way Clark."

Confused by her words, Lucas sees Gloria raise her arms towards Clark, and a battery of vines burst from the ground; speeding towards Clark. Clark manages to speed out of the way, allowing the vines to crash harmlessly through the greenhouse wall. Clark stops just a few feet from the entry to the greenhouse, and spots Lucas as he does so.

"Clark? What's going on?"

"Lucas…no time to explain. I'm gonna rush and contain her. When I do, I need you to electrocute her with one of these power cables."

"Are you crazy? Clark, the voltage in those lines will kill her; not to mention what it'll do to you!"

"Lucas, I need you to trust me, she's not human! She's all ready killed at least two people, maybe more. We have to stop her…now!"

A grin crawls up Gloria's face as she sees Clark talking to Lucas. "Ah good! A new groom has shown-up help propagate my progeny. Now, just hold still Clark, I'll make this as painless as possible."

"Lucas, you ready?"

Lucas frowns for a second but the frown quickly changes to a look of determination, and he nods to Clark.

Clark speeds behind Gloria, puts both arms around her, and locks his hands together. Gloria struggles like mad in order to free herself from Clark's grip. Since her arms are pinned down, she's unable to direct any of the vines toward them in order to aid her in escaping from the Kryptonian.

"Lucas…Now!"

Lucas grabs the nearest sparking electrical cable and closes the distance between them. With a grip safely back from the severed end of the power cable, Lucas jams it into Gloria's stomach. The effect on Gloria was the same as when Chloe used the stun gun on the vines holding Clark. The electricity cascaded throughout Gloria for only a moment before she turned to dust before their eyes.

Lucas stands there, somewhat stunned by what's just taken place before him. Clark takes the power cable from Lucas and jams it into the vines that remained from Gloria's earlier assault on him; they too crumble to dust. Clark then tosses the power cable safely out of the way, and faces Lucas while also sighing in relief.

After a moment to collect himself, Lucas goes to the greenhouse's circuit breaker and turns off the switch driving electricity to the main overhead lights. Turning his attention back to Clark, he asks, "You okay?"

"I'm good, you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Clark, what was that thing?"

"The short version is that was an alien plant that needed men in order to reproduce. Evidently, the soil here doesn't provide the nutrients needed so she was using men as potting soil to sow her seeds."

"So, that was the thing that was attacking people at Lone Pine."

"Yeah, listen about the rest of it…"

"Save it Clark."

Clark regards Lucas with an uncertain look of curiosity on his face. "Look, Lucas, I'm sure you have questions…"

"Trust me Clark, I have a plethora of questions, but the bottom line is…that thing is history, right?"

"Yes."

"Then that's good enough for me. Look, I'll be honest with you, I've done a good bit of checking up on you. Coincidence is one thing, but the number of times and the conditions, not to mention the steady escalation of them, surrounding the police reports you've been included in lead one to some interesting conclusions."

"Lucas, a lot of people are included in police reports, that's hardly unusual."

"Being included in a report? No, in and of itself, that is not critical, but when one digs deeper, pieces together what happened in each of those instances… Well, all I can say is I started to piece together how you were able to save me, about four years ago. Remember? We were leaving the Talon after I'd just told Lana I was going to shut it down when she wouldn't fire you."

Clark looks away from Lucas for a moment in thought. He then nods to Lucas to acknowledge he remembers the time being referenced. "Right, then that guy showed up on a motorcycle trying to kill you."

"That's it, well after that I always wondered how you were able to push me safely out of the way in time. Let's just say my checking up on you gave me some pretty good presumptions to go on. Then what I just witnessed here tonight, where that pretty much confirms what I thought."

"Look Lucas, I'm…"

"Don't worry about it Clark…"

"Huh?"

"I may be a Luthor but I grew up a lot over the last few years; I've developed a value system that diverges from what one would expect of my family."

"Okay, so…"

"Here's the deal, you saved my life years ago outside the Talon. The way I see it, I was able to take action in an effort to square my account with you. Bottom line, anyone – special abilities or no – that put themselves on the line, has earned my respect."

"So what are you planning on telling Lex, Lionel, or anyone else for that matter?"

"I know you and Lex have had a parting of the ways over the years. Look, he may be my brother, but that doesn't mean I see eye-to-eye with him on everything he does. Like I said, you earned my respect, my gratitude, a long time ago…I'm not going to tell Lex, nor anyone else, any of the presumptions I have about you."

Lucas pauses and looks around, the now quiet, greenhouse. "There's just one thing, about Lionel, I mean. When I started going back doing research on you, I found you were the only other adoption case handled through Metropolis United Charities besides my own. Now, Lionel was personally responsible for that organization. We both know how attentive he is to projects that he's got a personal stake in. So, I'm pretty sure that…"

"That he's all ready sorted through the parts of the puzzle and has reached the same conclusions about me as you did?"

"Yeah, look Clark, all Lionel ever said about you was that you were 'a very special young man'. I have to play my cards pretty close to the vest when dealing with either he or Lex, but I'm pretty sure Lionel's looking out for you."

Clark thinks for a moment and then responds. "I'd say you're right, he's had several opportunities over the years to use whatever he suspects about me, against me. Whatever Lionel's motives are, he's kept whatever ideas he has about me from Lex."

"I may not see him everyday Clark, but even a blind man can see he has feelings for your mom. Maybe the sentiment he's developed for her over the years has influenced what he believes, or knows, about you."

"It's possible, it's taken a long time for me to admit it, but Lionel's really done all he can to help my mom. Especially since my dad died, I think Lionel feels some responsibility for that. So, where do we go from here?"

"As I said, I play my cards close to the vest, so don't worry about me saying anything about this to Lex, Lionel, or anyone else for that matter. Besides, another thing that I didn't mention to you about looking over all those police reports…"

"Yeah?"

"Well, even if someone were to purpose the conclusions I came up with, anyone that heard them would call the findings insane."

"Good point."

"As far as where we go from here, let's play it by ear. There's an urban legend that says all the world's superpowers have backchannels, working to keep the lines of communication open in hopes of staving off a world wide catastrophe. Now, while I realize this isn't World War III here or anything, I can tell you I've run across other individuals with abilities that are working with the same goal in mind."

"So?"

"So, let's consider this another one of those backchannels. If one hears about something going on, pass it on, and vice versa. As I see it, I still owe you for saving my life, and I always square my accounts."

"Fair enough Lucas, and thanks." Clark extends his hand out to Lucas.

"No problem, like I said, I owe you." Lucas accepts Clark's handshake.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Arriving at the back alley behind the Talon, Oliver gets out of his Lotus Elise first and runs around to the other side to open the door for Lois. He takes her hand and helps her out of the car.

"I must say Miss Lane; I've thoroughly enjoyed having your company this evening, even though it was against your will."

"I'm sure you have but understand that only happened because I chose for it too. You may be charming, attractive, and wealthy but don't go letting that ego of yours run away with itself."

They stop just short of the back entrance to the coffeehouse and Lois turns to face him, a silly grin is plastered on both their faces. Oliver slowly dips Lois back and leans, teasingly, close to her face.

"I'd…uh…I'd like to close the night with a kiss."

Lois slaps him lightly on the shoulder, shoots him a big smile, stands up, and takes a step back from him.

"No doubt, but to keep with the theme of the evening, the lady deems it necessary that you demonstrate some exceptional ability to win her favor."

"Yeah, well, that was what I'd planned on doing by kissing you."

Lois laughs and puts a finger over his lips, "Let's have a little fun with this…" She turns and looks at the dumpster at the end of the alley. An empty soda can sits on top of it with its pull tab sitting straight up. Lois nods towards the dumpster, "tell you what, if you can hit that soda can with one of your arrows...I'm yours."

Oliver looks down the alley to see the can Lois is referring to, and lets out a breath. "Wow, that's it huh, just hit that can with an arrow?"

"Yeah, that's it, but you only get one shot…doesn't sound so easy does it."

Oliver studies the target for a moment, looks at Lois, and then looks back to the can. "Okay, you're on, I'm gonna give it a shot." He then goes back to his car and comes back with his bow and arrow rigging.

Lois stands aside, close to the steps leading up to the Talon's delivery door. "All right, just so you don't think I'm trying to throw you off, I'll stay back here. I wouldn't want you using me for an excuse."

Oliver looks over at her, "wow, you're so considerate, I don't know if I'll be able to concentrate." He winks at her and says, "Here it goes." Oliver sights his target, draws the arrow back, glances at Lois with half a grin, and lets the arrow fly. The arrow apparently misses its mark as it is stopped, not by the can, but by the wall behind the dumpster.

However, the arrow found its mark after all. Passing through the pull tab's opening, it separated the tab from the can, and it sits spinning around the arrow. Yet Lois is standing too far away from the wall at the far end of the alley to pick-up on this little detail.

"Well, I'll give you an 'A' for effort, but close only counts in horseshoes. Keep practicing there ace, who knows, maybe there'll be a next time."

Oliver says nothing in reply, he nods and looks away from her back down the alley. He sees the pull tab from the can has stopped spinning and now sits motionless on the arrow. A grin of accomplishment spreads across his face as he moves the bow to where he can rest his arms across the top of it.

Lois turns and walks up the steps to unlock the door to the Talon, but as she's fishing for her keys her cell phone rings. She glances at the caller ID and sees its Chloe calling. Flipping the phone open she turns to see Oliver still standing in the alley.

"Hey cuz, you missed all the fun this evening. I just…"

Before she's able to get another word out, Chloe cuts her off. "Lois! Listen, I'm calling about Jimmy. You know that story you two started looking into? Well, things got a little out of hand and…Lois, he's in the hospital."

"Oh my god." A pang of guilt washes through Lois for forgetting about her unofficial journalistic partner. "Okay, look, I'll be there as soon as I can."

On the other side of Smallville, things are going a little differently for another couple. The benefit ball has concluded at the Luthor mansion. Lex and Lana are walking bare-foot, hand in hand, down the corridors back towards his study. A grin that looks suspiciously akin to happiness is on Lex's face as he turns to look at Lana.

"You know, in a lot of ways, this is an inaugural night for me."

"Oh really, in what way?"

"This evening marks the first occasion I've taken the opportunity to dance in that overly ostentatious fountain on the grounds."

Lana laughs in spite of herself and stops walking long enough to gather her dress to keep it from dragging the floor. As she turns her attention back to Lex, he continues his explanation.

"Also, this is one of the few times, and probably only time I've ever felt so…content."

Lana lets go of his hand, moves in front to face him, and walks backwards a few steps as they enter his study.

"Hmm…I half-expected you to say that this was one of the first times you've been this 'happy' in a long time."

"Oh, well happiness is simply a sensation of elation. It's nothing more than your brain physiology jumping into high gear. I believe that's the reason why so many marriages sour after the honeymoon is over. The rigors of day-to-day living and the nuances of reality bring things crashing back down to earth."

"Well, never let it be said that you don't know how to set a romantic mood."

This time its Lex's turn to laugh as he takes her hand back in his, and they walk toward the fireplace. "Look, if it were anyone else here besides you, I promise that I'd be spouting all of the usual colloquialisms one would expect hear. It's just…you're not…you never have been…there's no one in the world that could stand up in comparison to you."

"Wow, you'd better be a little more cautious with your words Lex, I'm closing in on being peacefully content."

"I guess that means my nefarious scheme is panning out as predicted." Lex smiles in jest and Lana returns it with a laugh, grateful for a moment of lightheartedness. "Tell me something Lana, what was it that caused you to decide to laureate me with your presence this evening?"

"A friend gave me some good advice…I could sit safely on the shore, watching people swim along enjoying the ocean of life. Or I could plunge back into the water, learn to swim again, and get the most out of life that I can."

The humor fades from Lana's face and is replaced by a look of sincerity. She reaches up, loosens the clasps on Lex's costume, and begins removing it. Although her demeanor this evening was dramatically different from earlier, Lex is perplexed that it could have changed this much so soon. Confounded by her actions he asks her directly; "Lana, what do you think you're doing?"

"Simple, I decided to go with the later option that my friend suggested." Lana leans up and kisses him. Lex hesitates only a moment and then returns the kiss. The kiss quickly deepens and he reaches back to loosen the bow holding Lana's dress in place behind her neck.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Having escorted Martha Kent back home, Lionel wished her a good night and flew back to his office in Metropolis. The Dark Thursday benefit Lex had organized may have been over, but that did not mean there wasn't still work to be done. Still, he found that his mind involuntarily drifted back to the time he and Martha spent together at the benefit.

It seemed a great weight was lifted from his shoulders whenever she was around. This was a sensation foreign to him, one that he'd never expected to feel again after Lillian passed. However, Lionel knew the hard lessons of life, and realized that the chemistry between he and Martha was a precious gift. This gift, this bond, which was growing between them, was something he promised himself that he'd look out for…with as much tenacity as he directed towards protecting Clark.

Satisfied with his assessment and conclusion as to how to proceed with his relationship with Martha, Lionel returned his attention to the task before him. In the wake of the events of Dark Thursday, Martha's reputation in the state senate was spreading to the national stage.

While he knew Martha was a great asset to the people of Kansas, Lionel understood that she could have greater influence as a U.S. Senator in Washington. So, he had resolved to assemble a social function, with the moneybags of Metropolis as the keynote attendees, in order to raise capital to finance just such a bid.

Lionel entered through the double doors to his office to find Lucas waiting inside. However, unlike the last time he found him in his office, Lucas was seated in one of the guest chairs facing his desk, rather than in his chair behind it.

"Good evening, son, I thought you would be on your way back to Star City by now."

"Don't worry Dad, I am. Though we didn't get a chance to chat at the benefit, so I decided to make a detour on my way home."

"My, my, so what's on your mind son?"

"Mom, it's been a couple of years now since she passed away. I went by her grave to pay my respects while I was here."

"Listen, Lucas, I cared a great deal for your mother. I..."

"Of course you did, Dad, that's why you threw her into the Metropolis Sanitarium all those years ago. You know what hurts worse than that is that you didn't even tell me about it. I had to learn where my mom was from Lex, yet you knew where I was long before Lex."

"Lucas, I did what I thought was best for your mother. Metropolis Sanitarium was best suited to address your mother's condition at the time."

"Right, I guess I should be thanking you for not throwing her into Belle Reve, especially considering the horror stories I've heard about that place. Still, that doesn't excuse the fact that you never visited her once after admitting her."

"Lucas, I discussed that with the specialists on staff, and they advised me that my presence would only serve to exacerbate the mental anguish your mother was receiving treatment for."

"That's funny, when I finally got all of the paperwork approved to be able to see her, she'd always ask me about how you were. I guess an appreciable period of time must have past between the time you tried to see her and when I was able to, huh? I didn't even have all that much time before she passed away from the brain aneurysm. It also doesn't explain why you didn't show up for her funeral."

"Son, I may have been able to see her after she'd been there a while, but I didn't want to risk reopening wounds that were only starting to heal. I understand how you may think my actions were callous, but I thought the best course of action available to me to assist her was financially."

Lionel pauses to take a seat behind his desk. "I personally saw to it that funds were allocated to cover all of the medical costs incurred by her stay at the Metropolis Sanitarium. I also made sure additional funds were also directed to ensure every possible treatment was made available to her that would expedite her recovery process."

He then leaned forward and folded his hands together on the desk. "Then when your mother passed away, I… Well, I knew that you would be attending the service and just wasn't sure what to tell you. So, again, I helped out the only way I knew, I saw to it that every expense was handled accordingly…."

Lionel closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his right hand. Lucas sat quietly, waiting to see if his father was going to continue; he did.

"You'll also remember that it had not been too long ago that we thought Lex had been killed when he left for his honeymoon with Dr. Helen Bryce. I suppose on some level, that even though I suspected Lex was alive; going through the motions of putting on a funeral for him took its toll. When I took stock of your mother's situation, and considered how long it had been since we'd interacted on any level, it just seemed more respectful, to me, to finance the requirements that ensured her final wishes were carried out."

The two Luthors sat quietly in Lionel's office for a few moments after that. Lucas shifted his hands, from the chair's armrests that he was seated in, leaned forward onto Lionel's desk, and folded them together.

"Yeah because throwing money at every situation that arises makes it go away. No Dad, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that money can help; but it's no substitute for investing yourself into a situation to get it resolved."

"All right Lucas, you've had your say. I've explained my actions to the best of my ability. What exactly do you want from me?"

Lucas relaxed, somewhat, and leaned back in his seat. "Simple Dad, what you seem to covet the way most people covet their savings; what you finally admitted to some extent here this evening…honesty."

Lionel sits back in his chair with a puzzled look on his face. This was hardly what he'd prepared himself for when he saw Lucas seated in his office.

"Despite your continual assertions to the contrary, I know you have cultivated a personal relationship with Martha Kent."

"Lucas…"

"No, let me finish, I want you to promise me that you won't repeat the mistakes you've made in the past with her. While I don't know her all that well personally, I know the respect people have for her. Don't squander the feelings, you obviously have for one another, away in some twisted coup d'état. The trust that she, and her son, have placed in you deserve better than that. You do that and you'll be well on your way to earning my respect."

For the first time that he could remember, Lionel gave Lucas a smile; an actual, genuine smile. He stood from his chair and extended his right hand out towards his son.

"Lucas, you have my word. I appreciate your being candid in your request, and beyond that I'm proud of you. It would seem my reckoning of your disposition was in error. I appreciate the opportunity to earn your trust, son."

Lucas stood and shook his father's outstretched hand. "Well, it's like I told a friend of mine Dad, I've done quite a bit of growing up since I left Smallville. There's a quote I ran across by John C. Maxwell that had, and continues to have, a big influence on my constitution. He said, '_A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them._'"

"That's very true son, and the real test is applying that philosophy on a daily basis."

"Yes, and I can tell you that the application of those pays dividends that are truly priceless. I hope you'll commit to that as well Dad. Well, I'll be on my way but I'll be in touch…Star City isn't that far away."

"Goodnight, travel well, son."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

To say it had been a long day would have been an understatement, Clark thought as he walked back from the Smallville Medical Center's cafeteria. At Chloe's request, he'd gone down there to get her a cup of coffee.

Seeing as she'd accompanied Jimmy to the hospital in the ambulance, and he wasn't yet in any condition to fill out paperwork, Chloe had agreed to fill out the forms. She had finished up the last of the paperwork and was quietly hanging up her cell phone as Clark made it back to Jimmy's room.

"Here you are Ms. Sullivan."

"Hey thanks…you're a life saver!" Chloe takes a sip of the steaming beverage and motions for them to leave the room.

They headed down to the admission desk and turned in the administration forms for Jimmy. Then, finding a vacant lounge, took a seat in there so Chloe could drink her coffee. Clark protested that he could run them back to the farm before it got cold, but Chloe didn't want to risk spilling the coffee. Plus, after all that paperwork, she was in need of a caffeine recharge.

"So, how's Jimmy holding up?"

"Pretty good all things considered. The paramedics were the biggest hurdle I had to face, believe it or not."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, so they got him on the gurney, and while we headed back to the ambulance. I explained to them that he had seed pods inside him that could only be killed by electricity. When I told them they needed to defibrillate him to save his life, they said I was insane."

"Did you try telling them what you'd learned from the guy they'd brought into the hospital earlier?"

"Yeah but they hadn't been by his room to see what I was talking about. They just insisted that since Jimmy wasn't in cardiac arrest that they were not going to defibrillate him."

"Great…"

"Tell me about it. So, they loaded him into the ambulance and I got in the back to ride with them. Well, I saw there was a defibrillator sitting in the compartment right beside me."

"Chloe…"

"I know but they wouldn't listen and I didn't know how long we had before Jimmy, well, 'sprouted'. I grabbed the defibrillator and switched it on to charge up while the paramedics were getting in the front of the ambulance."

Chloe pauses to take a drink of coffee and continues. "I guess they must have heard me moving equipment around because the driver moved the rearview mirror to look back at me. The machine beeped that it was charged up when I caught the driver moving the mirror. I didn't know what to do so…"

"Wait; don't tell me you zapped the paramedics?"

"No! I grabbed the paddles and held them out towards them. I told the guys the paddles were hot, and the paramedics stayed put. Now, before you freak out, I only 'zapped' Jimmy once with the paddles. He was secured to the gurney with restraints, so he didn't flounder around too much. Anyhow, that did the job because a moment later he regained consciousness and asked if I paddled him."

"Seriously, you mean you were sitting there holding the paddles, and that was the first thing he asked? So, what did you tell him?"

A mischievous smile, that reaches almost ear-to-ear, appears on Chloe's face as she gets another drink of coffee. "What do you think I did? I looked at the paddles, looked at him, and with a great deal of restraint, in my opinion, just said, 'duh!'"

Clark did his best to not laugh, but he could help it, he laughed, and Chloe did the same. After the laughter had passed, Chloe continued with her exposition.

"Anyhow, I gave Lois a quick call just before you came back with the coffee to fill her in on what happened. She said she had to change, she'd just got back from the Dark Thursday benefit, but would be here as soon as she could."

"So, did Jimmy say anything else on the way to the hospital?"

"Mainly, he went on about wanting to know why I hadn't gotten a picture of him before he was weed-whacked from his cocoon. I explained to him that I'm not the photojournalist, well, I'm not the one trying to be anyway. I can't believe he'd go through all of that to try to impress a girl."

"Well, that's us guys for you Chloe, we'll do just about anything to gain the admiration of the girl we're in love with. I know I'd give my life a thousand times over for you. Although, in Jimmy's case, maybe next time he'll just go with the time-tested tradition of sending flowers."

"Ugh, please, no more plant-related jokes. Hey, what happened with Gloria?"

"Long story short, Lucas showed up, and thanks to his help Gloria received one heck of an electricity lesson. She's gone Chloe."

"Lucas? As in Lucas Luthor?"

"Yup, either he had impeccable timing, or he'd installed some kind of alarm to let him know someone was in the greenhouse…"

Clark proceeded to explain, in detail, what happened during the fight. He also went on to describe what he and Lucas had talked about, and how they'd left things between them. Immediately afterwards, Chloe noticed that Clark was starting to retreat into himself again, his face had that look she knew all too well…he was beating himself up over Gloria's death.

"Hey! Don't you dare go there, okay? This was a deadly species from the plant kingdom that makes a Venus flytrap look like a joke, it was an insidious weed. You guys did what was necessary Clark."

"Maybe but what about the people she'd killed before we were able to stop her?"

"Clark, you can't blame yourself for that, it's not your fault."

"I wish you were right about that Chloe. Remember the portal I told you about that I used to escape the Phantom Zone? Well, Gloria was somehow able to escape at the same time I did."

"Okay, well then thank God she was stopped."

"That's just it Chloe, according to what Raya told me, the Zone is filled with the worst criminals throughout 28 galaxies. If Gloria escaped when I did, who's to say there aren't more that got out?"

"Come here." Clark moved towards her and she pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, and let out a heavy sigh. After a moment, Chloe spoke quietly into his ear.

"Then we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Clark, you still don't give yourself enough credit. After everything you've been through, I know there's nothing out there that you can't handle."

Clark turned his head slightly to whisper in her ear. "Only because I have you with me Chloe…only because I have you…thank you."

**THE END**


End file.
